What We Can (and Can’t) Learn from Campaign Communications: Tips for becoming more discerning voters
Traditionally, the general election season in the United States begins on Labor Day weekend. Campaigns get into full swing, and local election offices finalize their plans for the November election. Especially if you live in an area with hotly contested elections, you will be flooded with messaging from political campaigns.
For those of you who want to be discerning voters—and my hope is that we all want to think carefully and critically about our voting decisions—how do you sort through information to help you make an informed choice on November 3rd? Over the next few weeks, I will offer some tips for navigating election season. In this post, I’ll focus on what we can learn about candidates and campaigns from their campaign communications.
Some Dangers of the Ad Wars
If you watch television, follow social media, listen to the radio, or receive texts on your phone, you will see many campaign messages over the next two months. Although the tone and quality varies significantly, political ads tend to be less concerned with providing information and more concerned with evoking emotional responses. Alarming text messages with “urgent” short polls are usually guises for fundraising. Many television and social media ads seek to push voters away from opponents by evoking fear and anger.
Some ads are created with the goal of causing enough of a stir that media outlets talk about (and possibly even show) the ad. One of the most famous and controversial political commercials in American history, Lyndon Johnson’s 1964 “Daisy” ad, ran during the Monday Night Movie on NBC. The ad insinuated that Johnson’s opponent, Barry Goldwater, would lead the United States into nuclear war. Even though the commercial only ran once, millions of Americans saw or heard about it in the extensive broadcast and print media coverage that followed. Ever since, some campaigns have deliberately created controversial messaging seeking to garner free media attention and create a stir.
Campaign Ads vs. Outside Group Ads
To the extent that you pay attention to campaign ads, find out who is sponsoring them. Most advertising will end with a short disclaimer that identifies who paid for the ad. Those sponsored directly by a candidate will include a tagline from the candidate’s official campaign committee—“Friends of Julie Garcia,” “Voters for Victor,” or the like. Such ads are approved by the candidate, purchased with campaign funds, and connect directly to the person running for office.
Campaign advertising created by candidates offers limited but potentially useful information. Short ads can inform voters about basic policy positions but do not have time to offer significant depth or nuance. The tone of the ads also offers insight into the candidate’s character and priorities. Media consultants place extreme pressure on candidates to go negative, and many will urge their clients to twist the truth. Ultimately, candidates must sign off on every ad run by their campaign, so voters should hold them accountable for the content, tone, and truthfulness of their messaging. If you believe a candidate is crossing ethical lines in their communication, don’t reward them with your vote.
Political parties, political action committees, and other outside groups also play a role in campaigns. Federal law prohibits these groups from working directly with campaigns, so they create their own messages without input from candidates. Outside groups devise strategies that they think will best “help” a candidate, even if their approaches run counter to the campaign’s goals. Ads from outside groups will have taglines such as “paid for by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee,” or “United Democracy Project paid for and is responsible for the content of this advertising” and will include the phrase “not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.” Since they are disconnected from candidates and may or may not be representing the candidate’s views, I recommend disregarding content from outside groups.
Official Campaign Websites as Helpful Sources of Information
Although ads can provide some information, they are likely not the best way to learn about candidates.
Campaign websites are an excellent source for learning because they give you the opportunity to evaluate candidates as they present themselves, not as someone else chooses to characterize (and often caricature) them. Every candidate for statewide and federal office, and many candidates for lower-level office, has a website. Campaigns create websites to present the candidate in the best light possible. Almost all include biographies, policy views, news releases, calendars of events, and more. Most include pop-up screens attempting to collect donations before a viewer even enters the site (my apologies for that!).
When deciding whom to support, I recommend reading the websites of the major candidates vying for a position, comparing them to one another to see who has the most relevant experience and background, assess their overall tone, and see what issues they prioritize. Evaluate the candidates based upon your political views. Who best aligns with you on health care? Immigration? Taxes? Foreign policy? Cultural issues? Are the candidates addressing the issues you care about most deeply? Are they truthful and charitable, or do they tend toward fearmongering?
Some people worry about getting information from campaign websites because they know the goal of a good website is to build support and ultimately win votes. Of course, candidates hope you will visit their site and like what you see, but good campaign websites provide a lot of information including views that are controversial. Clearly stated issue positions, especially on politically charged topics, will draw some voters but repel others. If you find that you disagree with a candidate’s positions on most things listed on their website, that is a good indicator that your views do not align well. If you find many or most of your priorities match with how the candidate presents him or herself, you have likely found someone you can sincerely support.
