Yes, we are in full swing of campaign ads. You can’t miss or avoid them. They seem to be running on TV/radio every five minutes as November gets closer.

If you run a negative ad against your opponent, I will not vote for you, no matter what. Campaigns have become like little children throwing tantrums. What happened to campaigns where two opponents stood next to each other and just talked about their platform, and voters could vote based on that, not a smear campaign against the other, who could run the other down further.

I could be any voter: black, white, Asian, Indian, Hispanic, any voter. And if I have this attitude, I guarantee there other voters who feel the same. So, what are you accomplishing by these negative ads I ask? And what message are you sending to our teenagers and children? You’re supposed to be mentors and good leaders.

While the negative ads say “not affiliated with any candidate,” at some point they do have a nexus with the candidate because that candidate wouldn’t let anything they didn’t deem allowable to be put on the air. There are currently two negative TV ads that we are being bombarded with: Congressional candidates Dino Rossi and Dr. Kim Schrier. So, to you two, I say, I will not vote for either of you because of your campaign. And if you are allowing other entities to say negative things for you, shame on you.

Let this be a lesson to the other campaigns out there. We, the voters, need to take back the right to vote for those whose integrity and character don’t need the negative campaigns, who can stand on their platforms alone. I will look at other candidates this voting season and choose one that has those qualities I can align to.

I believe there are other voters who will do the same.

– Darlene Pryor