Today, Common Cause Nebraska is criticizing a recent trend of candidates running the exact same ad on a particular ballot amendment – only changing the disclaimer at the end of the ads.

You can see the original ad from the Nebraska Family Alliance here. Board of Regents candidate Rob Schaffer is running the exact same ad, linked here.

While Nebraska law appears to permit candidates to run ads supporting or opposing ballot initiatives from their own campaigns, the practice is being used more frequently this year. Now, several candidates are running the exact same ad supporting the ballot initiative in question.

In a statement, Common Cause Nebraska Executive Director Gavin Geis criticized this recent campaign move as another example of the polluting influence of money in politics.  

“A ballot initiative organization and a candidate running the exact same ad leads to confusion about who is funding these efforts and creates an unfair advantage. By contributing airtime to ballot initiatives, candidates can shield donors from disclosing their support for the proposal and give them a financial advantage over their opponents, due to federal rules that give candidates discounted airtime. In short, this is another way the wealthy control what happens without the public knowing until it’s too late. It’s clear that the Legislature needs to step in and change the law to ensure transparency and a fair playing field. Candidates should run ads for their campaigns, and ballot initiative organizations for their purpose,” said Gavin Geis, Common Cause Nebraska Executive Director.