How to Use Disclaimers in Political Advertising

Federal regulations require the disclosure of all kinds of information during a political campaign. The argument has been made that a transparent campaign allows the public to see what's really happening in politics. You need to use political disclaimers in political advertising to comply with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC).

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Use Disclaimers in Political Advertising on Television

1. Compose a message for the beginning or the end of the ad that states if the official campaign or an outside organization paid for it. You also need to state whether or not the candidate approved the advertisement if it was not paid for by the campaign.

2. Record the candidate identifying himself and stating his approval for the television ad. A photo of the candidate may also be used with a generic voice-over message that approves the ad.

3. Place the disclaimer either at the beginning or end of the advertisement. Remember that, in addition to the candidate's image and voice, the regulation requires a written declaration of the ad's financial sponsors. This text must appear for at least 4 seconds and cannot be cluttered by graphics or other text.

Use Disclaimers in Political Advertising for Radio

4. Place a short sound clip of the candidate identifying herself at the beginning of the ad if her campaign approved the advertisement. She does not need to disclose who paid for the advertisement.

5. Use a voice-over of someone within the organization that paid for the ad if the candidate did not approve it. This voice-over must state that the organization is solely responsible for the content of the advertisement.

Use Disclaimers in Political Advertising for Print Media

6. Set aside a small area outside of the main body of any printed advertising material. The text must state who paid for the material and whether or not it is authorized by the official campaign.

7. Check to be sure that the disclaimer box is in a contrasting color from the rest of the ad. Make sure that the font size is clearly readable to an average person.

Tips & Warnings

• You can place the disclaimer for a written advertisement within the pages of an ad that spans multiple pages. However, on a billboard or single-page ad, the disclaimer must appear on the front.
• Failure to properly put a disclaimer on an advertisement removes the organization that carries the ad from any responsibility of running it.
• The FEC often fines campaigns and groups for not having the proper disclaimer on an ad.