(LEX 18) — The countdown is on to Kentucky's primary election, and voters have likely noticed political advertisements saturating the airwaves.
John Roberts, CEO at Creative Media of Kentucky, explained some of the rules candidates must follow when it comes to political advertisements in broadcast.
"If you have Andy Barr buying up all the time, he has to allow his opponent to come in. So the station would have to regulate, ‘Okay, you bought all of these ads, but we have to pluck you out of some of them because the opponent wants to buy,’" Roberts said.
As for the frequency of ads, it comes down to money. "The reason why you're seeing so many ads is dependent upon their war chest, if you will," Roberts said.
He explained that his agency discourages mudslinging and promotes messaging that isn't polarizing. However, not every ad agency or candidate takes the same approach.
"You don't want to say anything in those ads that would alienate people, but at the same time you have to stick true to what you believe in," Roberts said.
When asked about fabrication in political ads, Roberts advised against it. Though, stations aren't legally responsible for accuracy and cannot reject requests from legally qualified candidates, even for controversial ads.
Understanding how political ads work is one thing, but seeing them daily is another experience for voters.
"I think the most noticeable thing for me seems to be the disconnect between the messages in the ads, and what real voters and everyday Americans are concerned with," said Jennifer Morgan.
Another Kentucky voter, Bentley Mays responded to the influx of political ads he’s seen, "Say something that is not divisive, please."
Most voters across the political spectrum said the ads leave them with more questions than answers.
"I think for the most part, they're a nuisance more than they are informative or any type of authenticity in it to connect with the voter," Morgan said.
"What are you going to do for Kentucky? What are you doing for the people? What are you doing to unify the country?" said Mays.
Another voice, Andrew Cooperrider said, "You want to support Trump, great. We understand that you're against DEI, but what specific policies do you want to see put in place," Cooperrider said.
Cooperrider, who describes himself as a political junkie, said 30-second spots focused endorsements don't resonate with him.
"A 30-second ad talking about who’s the Trumpiest-Trumper to ever Trump… that’s not going to resonate as much with me, just because I want to see policy, want to see background. What do you want to do with the office, not just the buzzwords," Cooperrider said.
Morgan shared similar sentiments.
"It doesn't matter to me who endorsed a politician. It doesn't matter to me the friends that have or hold or anything like that. What really matters is how they connect with the voters, and none of these ads seem to really connect with at least me and my family," Morgan said.
Before the primary, some voters may need to look beyond the 30-second spots to make their decision.
Kentucky's primary election will be held on May 19th.
