During election season, political ads are everywhere.
No matter how many commercials you see on TV, the internet, or even in the mail, it can feel almost impossible to avoid it. And we’re already seeing accusations featured in political ads.
The rise of technology has made advertising seem more in our face than ever before, and political mudslinging is often paid for by untraceable dark money.
If you live in Millcreek or Fairview or anywhere in Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District, state Rep. Ryan Bizarro is supporting an abusive politician who was wanted by police in April. You’ve probably received a flyer in the mail.
Bizarro said all of those claims turned out to be false and he wants to warn voters about misinformation this election season.
“Now they are trying to use this poor man’s personal health issues for cheap political gain and that is completely unacceptable,” said District 3 State Representative Ryan Bizarro.
Bizarro said the mailers come from a place called the Commonwealth Leaders Fund and are paid for through dark money.
“The trash that comes in the mail, that’s different. People can say what they want, do what they want, and then have complete impunity, that’s a loan shark. They put it in Erie County. They’re trying to win a House seat, but that’s not going to happen. Our voters are smarter than that.”
Local political experts say dark money cannot be traced to a single source and has become more popular in recent years because of the Supreme Court decision known as Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. explain.
“What this means to us is that there are certain nonprofits that are allowed to collect money from anonymous donors and use that money to fund political activities. This is unbelievable. It’s very difficult, and we don’t know where the money is going to come from,” said Joe Morris, senior political analyst at Mercyhurst University.
Historically, Morris said, our system for regulating how money is spent has been based on the idea that voters should know exactly where their money is coming from, adding that that mindset has been abandoned since the ruling.
This is the 10th mailing the fund has sent to the 3rd District this year, and Morris said it likely won’t be the last mailing addressed to a running candidate.
“There’s definitely going to be a lot of black money in Erie County. Erie County is one of the most important counties in the nation in this election, so we’re going to see a lot of advertising,” Morris said. Told.
Both Bizarro and Morris said voters should always pay attention to where ads are coming from and do their own research.
