Frustration & Anxiety over Political Ads

TUCSON, Ariz. - (KGUN) — By Nov. 4, voters in southern Arizona will only have to weather a weekend and a couple extra days of political advertising.

Registered voters have been exposed to commercials, ads and posters either supporting or criticizing a political candidate.

In the current climate, some viewers reached out to KGUN 9 and said the tone of the campaign ads has made them tune out and change their media consumption.

One viewer wrote an email saying, "We are so sick of the ads bashing one another." It was to the point, this person said, they did not even want to turn on local news channels.

Another viewer wrote, "We know it's not your (local TV station's) fault, but the barrage of mud-slinging ads has caused us to quit watching the early morning and early evening news... Who needs that?"

Walking around public spaces in the Old Pueblo, we also talked to a couple voters who said they'd prefer campaigns change their rhetoric.

"It's your campaign ad, not theirs," said Megan, a young voter who KGUN 9 met on University of Arizona's campus. "Why are you trying to talk about someone else?"

In this conversation, Megan also said she skips through online ads as best she can. "Even if it's someone I would be voting for — just to do my own research, because the campaign ads are annoying to watch," she said.

Joining Megan for the conversation, KGUN 9 asked her friend Maddie what she would like to see candidates and parties change. Maddie argued political prospects should make their messages about the policy changes each campaign brings, and also lay out their own qualifications and personalities.

"That would definitely be a good start," she said, "because then that would also show that you don't need to slander your opponent; that you have enough good qualities, just you being yourself."

UA associate professor Samara Klar said some days, she doesn't want to turn on her car radio for fear the airwaves will be dominated by a cascade of negative political ads.

Klar, a political scientist, points out that this tactic makes sense, though. Polling in the highest-profile races in Arizona — the governor's contest, for example — can make a campaign team justify the need to draw voters this way when it's a close race.

"Both of these candidates are really trying to stress out their voters," Klar said. "They've got to get out there because this can go either way, and it is stressful. It's stressful to listen to regardless of which party you're supporting."

Klar said Arizona overall can serve as a case study of political campaign strategies over several cycles. Klar pointed out there's been some contrast to the negativity in past years -- some higher profile Democratic Party politicians have taken a moderate approach to try and persuade some independent and Republican voters.

In this season of contentious races, Klar said most negative ads do not necessarily reflect most people's attitudes about the most important issues.

"Democrats and Republicans agree on so much more than people realize. That's not what we're seeing in these ads," she said. "The parties are trying to draw as sharp of a contrast as possible to prevent voters from sort of kind of thinking about maybe I can go to the other side, or maybe that candidate's looking pretty good."

Klar said some of her research with colleagues pointed to a trend that more people on both sides of the political spectrum express warmer attitudes about their neighbors in the opposite party. In these investigations, Klar said people told political scientists they do not want to make politics part of every conversation and interaction.

Still, because of the prevalence of negative ads, Klar argued this approach will continue to alienate people from the political process, and thus, create a self-fulfilling cycle of more extreme candidates.

What about the process and regulations that govern how broadcast radio and TV stations air political content?

The Federal Communications Commission has a breakdown of the rules a station — like KGUN 9 — would follow.

The regulations follow four main pillars:

1) Equal Opportunity or Time

• This only applies to a "legally qualified candidate," but that person should be generally provided 'comparable' time on the air to show their message.

2) What a campaign pays for ad time

• This rule depends on a timeline, which applies once it's 45 days before a primary election or 60 days before the general election.
• Stations may not charge one candidate more money to air an ad that's the same class, time length or playing a certain time of day.

3) Monitoring the Content

• Per the FCC, broadcast stations are prohibited from censoring or rejecting political ads candidates purchased.
• To that end -- the agency says it generally will not review or pre-approve content in political ads before they air, or look at the accuracy of the statements the candidates make.

4) Public record keeping

• Broadcast stations are required to keep current public inspection files which can include information about the ad time a candidate or an issue advertiser purchased.