BY HOWARD WILKINSON and MICHAEL HAWTHORNE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COLUMBUS -- A national committee that wants to clean up election campaigns says the vast majority of Ohioans want an end to "negative" campaigning, despite evidence suggesting voters respond to it.
The Project on Campaign Conduct (PCC), a non-partisan group whose aim is to persuade candidates to voluntarily sign"codes of conduct," released a poll of voters in Ohio and Washington state Thursday in Columbus.
The poll showed that voters in both states, chosen by PCC to test voter attitudes, overwhelmingly approve the idea of candidates signing pledges to forgo "negative" and personal attacks.
"Voters are very clear that things are bad," said Brad Rourke, national director of PCC. "But they are also clear that they aren't going to throw in the towel."
The poll was conducted in June among 1,600 likely voters in the two states by Democratic pollster Celinda Lake and Republican pollster John Deardourff. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Cynicism reigns
In Ohio, 91 percent said they believe candidates are "very likely" or "somewhat likely" to make personal attacks. The same number said they are likely to "mislead voters about each other's records."
Among Ohioans, 93 percent said it would be "very important" or "somewhat" important for candidates to agree to not make personal attacks on each other. Eighty-six percent said it would be important to them to see candidates agree "not to say anything negative" about each other.
The numbers were nearly identical in Washington state.
The PCC, which is funded by the Pew Charitable Trust, is supported in Ohio by a number of groups, including the League of Women Voters, Ohio Citizen Action and the Kettering Foundation.
Thinking about it
So far, none of the statewide or congressional candidates has signed a voluntary pledge modeled after a 1996 code adopted by candidates in Maine, who promised not to engage in negative attacks.
But Mr. Rourke said the group is talking to candidates about signing pledges.
The PCC director thinks voter turnout would be higher if campaigns were more positive.
PCC objects to "illegitimate attacks," which it defines as attacks "based on rumor or innuendo, unflattering and demeaning representations, stereotyping and appeals to fear or prejudice." Gerald Austin, a longtime Democratic political consultant with experience in Ohio and national campaigns, said the group's goal of eliminating negative ads is unrealistic.
"Sometimes voters are turned off by negative advertising, but usually it is when it comes from a candidate they do not know very well," Mr. Austin said.
Mr. Austin doesn't think the poll is a true indication of reaction to negative ads. "Face it, people lie to pollsters."
