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You can tell a big election is approaching because some people are becoming more squirrelly by the day.

The last few weeks have featured a flurry of calls, emails and letters to the editor — most of which are about the upcoming presidential election.

It’s the Donald Trump-J.D. Vance Republican ticket vs. the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz Democratic ticket, and people on both sides are not shy about telling us where they stand.

And, of course, how they believe everyone else should vote on Nov. 5.

That’s nothing new. Election season always brings out the political commercials, yard signs, letters to the editor and for us — the Sound off! submissions.

But something is changing as Election Day approaches. The temperature in America — and here in the Mahoning Valley — is steadily rising. It isn’t exactly news that conservatives and liberals differ on issues and policies, but it seems we’ve lost the ability to agree to disagree.

Case in point, this is an email I received last week from a reader:

“After over 30 years….I’m done with your unfair bias MSNBC Newspaper

In Saturday’s paper your Sound -Off had 6 negative Donald Trump posts to only 2 positives.

You democrats are so nervous about DJT winning that you’ll do anything to persuade the readers.

And dont tell me it’s because the entries being sent in lean more negative towards him . Dont even go there. DJT won Trumbull and Mahoning Co’s back in 2020-

Despite your unfair tactics, it wont work!!

Kiss off and goodbye. Your revenue must be caving.

Good, close up biz now!”

That was the message, exactly as it was sent. I changed nothing in it, not even the largely questionable grammar and punctuation.

For the record, we don’t sandbag items because of the political opinions of those who submit them. As difficult as it was for that reader to believe, submissions from readers about the presidential race of late have been running decidedly against Trump. My best guess is the anti-Trumpers are simply more willing to “sound off” or write letters about their dislike for the former President.

Yes, Trump won both Trumbull and Mahoning counties in 2020. But it’s quite a leap to suggest those numbers from four years ago would guarantee there should be more pro-Trump opinions submitted by readers today.

Another right-leaning reader called to vent about an Associated Press headline and story. The voicemail went like this (I did remove the name and address):

“… First of all, don’t bring another one of your stinking papers here. ‘Harris touts endorsements, Trump vents anger.’ You’re not The Vindicator. You’re the Tribune. Don’t bring any more of your liberal garbage here.”

As I mentioned in this space a couple of weeks ago, we’ve reached that stage of political evolution at which many folks on both sides are unwilling to even see or hear ideas that do not affirm their beliefs.

Yes, that same mentality also is present on the other side of the aisle. Several left-leaning readers have complained about our use of certain syndicated columns and cartoons on editorial pages, even though we do try to balance those as much as possible. But poke fun at President Joe Biden or vice president Harris “too much” and we’ll get a reaction.

One reader was upset about coverage of Trump’s recent appearance at Arlington National Cemetery, as if the fact that we ran AP’s story and a photograph meant we endorsed what she felt was an unseemly campaign event.

We walk a fine line every day on these pages. No matter what appears, it seems half of our readers aren’t going to like it. The conservatives think we’re liberals and the liberals think we’re in the tank for the MAGA crowd. As one of my old bosses once suggested, if both sides are complaining, you might just be doing something right.

Still, tensions are running high as Nov. 5 draws closer.

And I haven’t even mentioned the two assassination attempts against Trump, nor the insistence from the former president and his VP pick that dogs and cats are on the menu for some folks in southwestern Ohio.

We seem to be stuck in a continuous “he said, she said” loop, and it’s getting worse as we get closer to Election Day.

In some ways, I can’t wait for it to get here so we can get past it. But as angry and frustrated as Americans on both sides have become, I wonder what the post-election fallout will be like — no matter what happens.

For the interim, a suggestion: Mix in some decaf and try to relax and focus on what is positive in our lives.

Ed Puskas is editor of the Tribune Chronicle and The Vindicator. Write him at epuskas@tribtoday.com.