Today, Common Cause Ohio and the Ohio Fair Courts Alliance released a short animated video encouraging voters to be thoughtful consumers of political ads. This video is part of the Judge the Ads project which urges Ohioans to question and critique political advertisements. The project focuses on ads surrounding the races for the Ohio Supreme Court. Judge the Ads.org aims to root out misinformation about the judicial system and empower voters to question the goals of those funding these ads. 

Animated by Katherine Torrini, the newly released video examines a political ad “Groovy” that targeted a judicial candidate in Missouri a decade ago. The intent is to draw attention to the techniques that are used in political ads in an easily digestible way.  

“We are urging voters to look closely at all political advertisements,” said Catherine Turcer of Common Cause Ohio. “It’s important to determine if the ad is from a candidate, a political party, or from an organization. We should all ask the questions: Who is funding this ad? And what do they want?”   

In a previous incarnation, the editor of the animated video “Groovy” Stephen Bohls edited scores of political ads, both positive and negative. This gave him a unique insight into this Judge the Ads campaign.   

“This enabled me to deconstruct the ways in which a political ad influences the viewer,” said Bohls. “I am working off my bad karma by helping others notice the influence of this form of propaganda.” 

The Judge the Ads video encourages voters to examine who paid for political ads and to question the motivation of donors.  

In 2022, organizations that spent money in the Supreme Court races included Ohioans for Justice and Integrity, Ohioans for a Healthy Economy, and Forward Justice. All of these organizations may sound reputable, but they provide voters with little information about who they are or how they are funded.   

“We encourage all voters to consider who is funding advertisements and to look beyond these ads and seek information about the candidates,” said Jessica Dickinson of the Ohio Fair Courts Alliance. “Check out JudicialVotesCount.org to learn more about the candidates for Ohio Supreme Court. Recent rulings, organizational and newspaper endorsements, and candidate forums can also provide voters with more information about judicial candidates.” 

Visit JudgeTheAds.org for more information.  

Katherine Torinin is a creativity expert, visual strategist and innovation catalyst who has brought her visual magic to the likes of NASA, Dell, Coca-Cola, KPMG, Southwest Airlines, and The Institute for the Future.  

Stephen Bohls is an editor and filmmaker who has created commercials and videos for national brands like TreeTop, Better Than Bouillon, Southwest Airlines, Loctite, Sunpower, Bank of America, AT&T, and Lennox. 

 Independent expenditures, or spending on political ads by organizations that support or oppose a candidate but aren’t coordinating with candidates, has escalated since the US Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. FEC decision in 2010. However, Ohio has a long history of secret money in Ohio Supreme Court races going back to Election 2000.  

The original “Groovy” ad debuted on Oct 14, 2014. It targeted now-retired Judge Pat Joyce and was paid for by the Republican State Leadership Committee – Missouri PAC