Finding information about candidates or topics during election time is easier with the Internet available. We are going to use napavalleyregister.com to make this November’s election as easy as possible to learn all you want about each race on your ballot.

We are offering a blog to each candidate for local, state and national office, and to each group with a local initiative/statewide proposition that is going to appear on a Napa County ballot.

Yes, that’s a lot of information, but that is what we are here for. This, we feel, is the best way for you to be able to find out as much information as you can about a candidate or issue.

This was also a request from many people who regularly make comments to articles on our Web site. The idea came up when Newspeak columnist/blogger Matt Pope announced his intention to run for American Canyon City Council. Equal time issues required that we suspend Matt's column until after the election, but it sparked the idea of an all-candidate blog atmosphere.

We are offering the space to each candidate/group once a week, and they can respond back in the story comments section to anything asked of them. We are asking they play by the same rules, though, of those making comments to any story. No personal attacks, no name-calling, or the blog/comment gets tossed out.

This is the challenge to the candidates, the supporters and the commenters alike. We are going to watch very closely to try and keep the mudslinging out of the Register’s election section.

The request is for the candidates to stick to the topic without attacking their rivals, stating their position and why their view is the right one, without degrading their opponent’s viewpoint or their opponent.

Same for those making comments. You can criticize a person’s stance, but if you criticize the person, the comment is going to be deleted.

For Example, “I think Joe’s position on Napa Pipe is wrong because ...” is OK, but “I think Joe is an idiot because of his stance on Napa Pipe,” is going to be deleted.

Go ahead and attack the message, but attack the messenger and your out. Those are the rules and it is very simple. Play by the rules or don’t play the game.

Candidates are already making announcements they intend to run for office, but we are not opening up the candidate blogs until people turn their papers in to the elections office and are officially on the November ballot.

The filing period started last Monday and continues through Aug. 8

Look for the election section soon. We will get this moving as we get candidates involved.