2012 Commentary: A Virginia Voter Looks at How Campaign Advertising Has Impacted His Vote

Abstract: I live in Virginia; a battleground state that has received a lot of attention from both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. I discuss how campaign advertising has impacted my vote. CONTENT:

I live in the battleground state of Virginia. I am in my late 30s and am currently searching for a job in the health care field.

I am amazed by the amount of attention that supporters of both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama are giving to Virginia. Whenever I watch television, I encounter a barrage of advertisements supporting one candidate or the other. I have received several fliers in the mail from both parties urging me to vote for their candidate, and I see campaign posters and signs seemingly everywhere. Some of my family members, who have land lines, have been inundated with campaign related phone calls.

Over the past few months, I have seen a wide variety of candidate commercials and campaign paraphernalia. However, none of them has impacted my vote. I feel it is my responsibility as a U.S. citizen to carefully review both candidates' positions on the issues before making my decision. I rarely learn anything new from a 30-second television ad or a one sentence campaign poster. At this point, even if I did espy a truly thought-provoking advertisement, I probably would not pay attention to it. I have seen so many presidential adverts of one sort or another in the past few months that I have become desensitized to their messages.

I recently decided to vote for a third-party candidate in November. I cannot support Romney or Obama; I do not feel that either of them would do a good job while in the Oval Office. No amount of political advertising will convince me to change my vote.

-- Anthony Hopper

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