Issue advocacy ads

Issue advocacy ads (also known as interest advocacy ads or issue only ads) are communications intended to bring awareness to a certain problem. Groups that sponsor this form of communication are known by several names including: interest advocacy group, issue advocacy group, issue only group, or special interest group. The problems these groups raise awareness of can be either a social or political issue.

If you like candidate X, you need to know he did Y.

Disclosure requirements[edit]

In 2010, Citizens United "expressly rejected the contention that election-law disclosure requirements are limited to express advocacy or its functional equivalent." While it and a subsequent case affected certain spending limitations, it did not permit those making the spending from evading disclosure requirements by claiming they were performing issue advocacy.^[10]^{: 1091–1092}

Also in 2010 in a case known as Doe v. Reed, the Supreme Court rejected an appeal to keep signatures upon a referendum from voters, based upon a claim it violated the First Amendment.

Lower courts are already applying these new standards to uphold a gamut of state disclosure laws ranging from ballot measures to candidate elections, and from express advocacy to issue advocacy.^[10]^: 1103

Political action committee

527 Organization

(2010)

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

Issue Advocacy Advertising During the 1996 Campaign

Kai Ryssdal (October 30, 2012). . Frontline. USA: Public Broadcasting Service.