ads on ballots

Ads on Ballots to Pay for S.C. Primary?

Sponsor logos on ballots not out of the question

(Charlotte [S.C.] Observer, Oct. 3) -- February's S.C. presidential
primary could be brought to you by ... name your price. State
Democratic Party Chairman Joe Erwin says he plans to seek corporate
sponsorships to help raise $500,000 to hold the Feb. 3 primary, which
the state party has to pay for.

If a corporation wants to give a little extra to slap its name on a
ballot or a media backdrop -- or pretty much anything -- he'll
consider it. It's a takeoff on the way ballparks sell ads on
scoreboards or seatbacks. "Some state-wide corporation may want their
company identified with democracy," said Erwin, a Greenville marketing
executive. "You do what you have to do as long as you do it legally
and with integrity."

South Carolinians will play an important role in choosing the next
Democratic presidential nominee -- assuming the primary goes on as
scheduled. The first-in-the-South contest falls third after the Iowa
caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. North Carolina's Sen. John
Edwards considers South Carolina a must-win.

But Democrats are struggling to find money to pay for it. South
Carolina is one of only a few states that require the state party to
pay for the primary. Erwin has been raising money since he was elected
chairman in May. He has about $220,000 in gifts and pledges, but he'll
have to use about half that just to make payroll and keep the
headquarters open.

Erwin has been soliciting donations from companies for several
weeks. Campaign finance laws allow corporations to contribute to state
parties for some activities, he said.

He said he got the idea to go a step further and allow companies to
use their names and logos on election materials during a recent
conversation with Iowa Democrats. To help pay for the caucuses, Iowa
Democrats plan to sell space on a media backdrop. No one's signed on
yet, said party spokesman Mark Daley.

The S.C. Democrats haven't lined up anyone yet either. But they say
corporations could sponsor ballots, get-out-the-vote ads or signs
outside polling places. They're still talking to lawyers and party
officials about their options. "Everything will be done in good
taste," assured Democratic Party Executive Director Nu Wexler.

A Republican Party official ridiculed the idea. "That idea has
about as much credibility as the Democratic Party and their
candidates. It's just about as absurd as they are," said S.C. GOP
Executive Director Luke Byars.

Paul Sanford, counsel for the Washington-based Center for
Responsive Politics, said selling space on election materials is
probably legal, though he'd never heard of anyone doing it before. But
he questioned whether it's appropriate. "I don't really think it's a
good thing to commercialize the voting process," he said. "Just
because it's not illegal, it doesn't mean it's a good thing."

Erwin brushed off the criticism, saying it would be worse if the
primary were canceled. "It somewhat changes the nature of politics,
but boy, isn't it consistent with the way things are changing?" he
said.

-- -Kraig Grady
North American Embassy of Anaphoria Island
http://www.anaphoria.com
The Wandering Medicine Show
KXLU 88.9 FM WED 8-9PM PST