More Rethuglican Tactics

Voting System Spots Really Campaign Ads, Critics Say

Elections Supervisor Buddy Johnson hasn't been spending much campaign money in
his re-election bid.

But that doesn't mean his name and face haven't been on the local airwaves, courtesy of the county's taxpayers.

Over the past few weeks, Johnson's voice and image have been heard and seen in a series of ads on TV and radio. Johnson's office has contracted with Schifino Lee, a local public relations firm, to create and buy advertising spots on radio and cable TV and print and distribute brochures.

In the ads, Johnson introduces himself as the elections supervisor, talks about the new optical scan voting system and assures voters the Nov. 4 elections will go smoothly.

"So you can be sure that your vote is counted and your choice made clear," he says in the ads.

Political observers say the timing and frequency of Johnson's ads raise concerns about whether they serve a dual purpose: educating voters and getting Johnson re-elected.

"It's basically free advertising," said Darryl Paulson, a political science professor at the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg, who has seen the ads. "It certainly doesn't seem appropriate, given that he is an incumbent supervisor running for re-election."

The cost of the ads, which are paid for from the budget of the election supervisor's office, is not clear. Elections office staff members couldn't provide financial figures this week, sayingit would likely take several days to compile the information.

Johnson did not return phone calls over the past several days.

State elections officials have been encouraging elections supervisors across the state to explain to voters the switch from electronic voting to paper ballots as the election nears.

In Pasco County, Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley has been sending out mailers and running voter education ads on radio stations but decided not to run them on TV.

"It's a very effective way to educate the voters," he said. "But it's also very expensive."

Corley said he is wary of attaching his name to voter education materials, concerned about the perception he is using taxpayer-funded ads to promote his campaign.

"There are some lines that just shouldn't be crossed," he said.

Records show Johnson has raised about $47,000 and spent $17,000 on his campaign. He raised no money from the end of July until the most recent filing deadline on Sept. 19.

Democrat Phyllis Busansky, who is challenging Johnson in the Nov. 4 election, has raised almost $128,000 - about $25,000 in the past month - and has spent about $66,000.

Johnson is at a critical time in his bid for another four-year term. Opponents criticized him before the Aug. 26 primary for a logo on sample ballots mailed to registered voters.

In the mailer's return address field, a new logo with the word "VOTE" in large, capital letters was juxtaposed next to Buddy Johnson's name and title.

He also was criticized for delays in posting the results on primary election night, though the company that manufactured the machines later took responsibility for the problem.

Busansky called Johnson's ads a "shameless use" of taxpayer dollars and says he's using his office to campaign for re-election.

"It's an egregious abuse of power," she said. "He hasn't raised a dime for his campaign in the past month, so whose money is he using? The taxpayers should be outraged."