Anonymous campaign literature should be trashed immediately

As another election cycle draws to a close, it’s a good time to remember that the American political system is far from perfect. The wise voter must sort through all kinds of campaign literature, commercials and advertising––and be cautious. You can’t believe everything you see and read.

A perfect example occurred several years ago when a group with a nice title (similar to the "Organization to Preserve Non-Smokers Rights") had written a ballot measure in California. In reality, it was backed by the tobacco industry and would have reintroduced smoking sections in restaurants and bars. The ballot initiative (with a totally misleading title) failed. Many voters—including smokers—were mad about the deception.

Some groups with political-sounding names are actually nothing more than marketing companies that make money "packaging" certain candidates and causes. In reality, they endorse whoever pays them.

On page 24, we learn about a group calling itself the Land Use Preservation Defense Fund.

While it might sound like a group of environmentalists, it’s more likely backed by large landowners or developers in the Santa Monica Mountains because the Land Use Preservation Defense Fund operates from a post office box with a phone number that’s "not in service." And a recent mailer, according to a spokeswoman for L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, clearly distorts the truth about existing land-use regulations.

We urge voters to beware of literature and flyers that are distributed by groups and organizations with catchy names—but are vague or even clandestine about who they really represent.

Unless people put their names on political literature, the authors are anonymous, which also implies that they’re hiding something.