Do political ads and signs influence your vote? Here's what we learned about a shocking ad

REGIONAL - Ballots will be mailed out in about a week for the General Election and as we get closer, you may notice more political ads and signs popping up along the road and in your neighborhoods.

But do these things really affect how you vote?

Some people we spoke to in the Tri-Cities region said it might, but for one particularly shocking ad, it may influence opposite of what it was intended.

When it comes to your voice, your vote, sometimes it can be hard to get some voices out of your head. It seems like every time you turn on the television, stream a show that has commercials or scroll on your social media sites, you're being hit with political campaign ads.

Ashley Elmo, who is a Franklin County voter, said while she may hear things or see things, when it comes to her vote, she does the digging on her own. "As far as presidential or governor, I do my own research and look things up," Elmo said. "I don't necessarily steer towards what the media is saying."

Franklin County voter Maria Perez said she researches things she hears, especially when it comes to things that could affect her and her family's everyday life. "Things that might affect our lives for the better, or those that affect our household incomes," Perez said.

Even a future voter said she's not going to be swayed by an ad that tries to get her to believe one thing. Rowan Powell said while she can't vote in this General Election, she's going to prepare herself when she finally gets to mark that ballot. "Put more research into it, look into it," Powell said. "I would really like that to be the definition of my vote."

As for if political ads and signs can influence voters, all three people who agreed to be interviewed said it is definitely something that is concerning overall. "I think it confuses everyone," Perez said about political signs everywhere. "Not everyone is into the political stuff so it's confusing to see all these names and not really putting the face to it."

Powell said when she sees the ads, with a brush of her finger, she moves on. "I'm on TikTok a lot and I know they advertise a lot, but most of the time, I skip next," she said. "There's so many of them."

During commercial breaks of 'The View' on ABC stations the next few weeks, viewers will see a graphic ad that includes disturbing anti-abortion imagery. This includes on Apple Valley News Now. The stations will air a disclaimer, warning viewers before the ad, but there is nothing stations can do to stop it from airing due to FCC regulations. The ad is for Constitution Party candidate Randall Terry, who is on the ballot for president in several states, but not in Washington or in Oregon. We asked Perez and Elmo if they would like to watch the ad to see what they thought. The advertisement is graphic, showing actual pictures of abortion. Terry is hoping to sway voters by showing the graphic images, but it may not sway them in the direction he wanted, according to at least one of our voters.

Perez told us she was forced to have an abortion when she was not able to carry her pregnancy to full term. Seeing the ad, makes it personal and she was turned off by what the ad was implying, especially for women in her same situation. Elmo said it's possible it could sway her decision.

"Yeah, it definitely would," Elmo said. "To be honest, I didn't like it."

Perez said seeing targeted ads can help voters open their eyes as to who they will decide to vote for, but it's up to each individual. Elmo said it's imperative that voters do their research when it comes to voting and not to judge a book by its cover.

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