For as intense as the rivalry is between political liberals and conservatives in this region (as well as across the nation), the daily letters to the editor section on the Erie Times-News' editorial page has been dominated in recent days by readers who clearly prefer Democratic candidates. But that's about to change.

It doesn't take long for Republican readers to get their fill of letters from supporters of the other side. Four arrived in today's mail that railed against previous letters that had already appeared in the paper. More than the editorials themselves, reader letters seem to generate the most reaction.

My theory is that readers respond to other readers because they see themselves in those letters -- for better or for worse. They also don't like to see letters from the same writers appear over and over. And they seem to have a knack for judging the authenticity of letters.

I've written here before about how both Republican and Democratic operatives try to "plant" letters on the newspaper's editorial pages. But such letters are usually easy to spot because of the similarities in tone and style.

The Times-News usually receives about 80 letters per week, and there's not enough space to print every one. If you write a letter, you should receive a call back from our office, asking you to verify the authenticity of the letter. It's not a promise that your letter will appear in the paper, but at least you're in the running. If you submit a letter to us, and you don't receive a call back, it likely means that we haven't received it. Occasionally, we don't seem to receive every letter that readers send to us by e-mail.

Remember, if you don't get a call back from us within a few days of the letter's expected arrival, please pick up the phone and ask us about the status of your letter.

Meanwhile, sit back and enjoy the political jousting that should highlight the letters section for the next couple of weeks -- especially as readers respond to the newspaper's endorsements. One thing's for sure, you'll always be able to tell where the readers stand politically by the tone of their letters. Nobody minces any words, and that's the fun of it.

-- Kevin Cuneo