COLUMBUS, OH — Today Common Cause Ohio launched its “Judge the Ads” project,  a campaign dedicated to educating voters on how to follow the money in the upcoming Ohio Supreme Court races. 

The project centers on how to identify whether ads are paid for by candidates or by organizations that often use secret money. As ads run through the Nov. 8 general elections, the website will encourage voters to “follow the money” and identify “dark money” ads. The Judge the Ads website also provides information about the role of the Ohio Supreme Court and has tips for voters on how to learn about the candidates beyond political advertisements.

“Without transparency about who is paying for political ads, dark money groups can unduly impact the electorate,” said Catherine Turcer, Common Cause Ohio executive director. “The Judge the Ads campaign will help arm voters with basic information so they can properly identify the type of ad they are seeing or received in the mail. With three judicial seats — including the chief justice seat — up for grabs, it is important Ohioans are properly informed about the candidates and to make sure this election is in the people’s hands.”

Previously, Ohio judges were nominated in partisan primaries, but listed as nonpartisan in the general election. This year, however, the Ohio Supreme Court elections will be partisan, with each candidate’s political party labeled on the ballot.

The Judge the Ads website can be found here.

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