It’s March and the fish frys and barbecues are in full swing, which can only mean one thing — it’s election season again.

One thing is certain in local politics, candidates know how to woo voters through their stomachs.

Here in Winnie we have a very active local primary this month in addition to the statewide races up for grabs. One of our biggest local contested races is for Chambers County justice of the peace precinct no. 1. There are several candidates running to fill the post.

The competition is nice for us at the Hometown Press because it translates into local advertising revenue. We have placed ads for several local candidates, many of whom have held food fundraisers to meet-and-greet local residents.

Advertising is nice but editorial plays an even bigger part in the election season. We’ve run stories and photos when local candidates announced their intention to run.

Next month are primary runoffs, if we have any, and then we start gearing up for the local elections in May, which always bring out lots of campaigning and even more barbecues and crawfish boils.

Winnie is no different than other small towns. The campaign season is playing out in counties across Texas, some with mudslinging left and right and others with no opposition at all.

But the most important part of the political season is the role newspapers play. We are there to record the events, good or bad.

No matter who wins the primary, runoff or general election, newspapers will be there to record the outcome.

Only the newspaper can do that with any detail — radio and television can’t come close.

The tangibility of newspapers is particularly important during an election season where readers can save last week’s issue and look back at what that candidate said before they head to the polls. Try doing that with a 10-second radio spot!

Portability is another key factor for newspapers. A newspaper’s local voter’s guide likely will end up in the polling place with the reader who has used it to mark his or her choices. According to the League of Women Voters, a Texas law prohibiting printed materials in the polls was ruled unconstitutional in 1995 so our readers can take us with them when they vote.

Our industry is the most portable medium. You can take us anywhere, even to a fish fry.

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March also means it’s newspaper contest season.

TPA member newspapers have until April 1 to postmark their entries in the Better Newspaper Contest. The TPA staff tells me that is a firm deadline, no exceptions.

So get your entries together today, don’t wait until the last minute, and send them to TPA along wih your overall $25 entry fee.

April 1 also is the deadline for members to enter the Monson FOI Award, which TPA sponsors with the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas to honor a newspaper’s open government reporting.