Is it really any wonder why most voters despise politicians?

Too many elected officials put their political party and their re-election prospects ahead of good public policy.

Too few of them ever manage to fix longstanding problems facing average citizens — even with solutions the majority of the electorate supports.

Too few incumbents, whether they've done a decent job or not, ever lose re-election thanks to the overwhelming fund-raising advantages that come with incumbency and to redistricting, which is rigged to keep parties' legislative turf safe. And too many candidates simply play dirty, doing whatever it takes to win election.

But one of the biggest reasons people are turned off by politicians and the political process — a 2019 Gallup poll showed a 24% approval rating for Congress; our state Legislature had a 33% approval rating in a Monmouth University poll taken last month — is the sleazy manner in which far too many political campaigns are conducted. Generally, the races that aren't debased are those in which the election result is a foregone conclusion long before Election Day arrives, as it is year after year in most races in heavily Republican Ocean County and most Senate and Assembly races throughout the state.

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Worse, state election officials say there is nothing they can do to stop false and distorted political ads. New Jersey's Election Law Enforcement Commission has no jurisdiction over the content of political advertising other than to enforce a section of campaign finance law that requires political disclaimers on ads, whether they be TV ads, radio spots, social media posts, mailers or fliers.

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Who does have jurisdiction? No one. Unless a candidate is defamed or libeled, there is nothing that can be done. Even then, seeking redress in the courts in all but the most egregious cases is a long shot.

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Thanks to a series of court tests, New Jersey is not unlike other states in staying out of the business of regulating false or distorted political advertising. The Supreme Court has ruled that such ads are protected by the First Amendment. In other words, the Constitution protects the right of political candidates to lie to their heart's content. The only risk to candidates is blowback from voters turned off by the half-truths and attacks in their campaign ads.

Examples of political ads that straddle the line between fact and fiction abound. The Citizens United decision, which allows political action committees that do not coordinate with specific candidates to spend unlimited amounts of money, makes the foul political air even more toxic. These so-called independent PACs are not required to disclose their contributors, although a "dark money" bill recently passed into law in New Jersey and now being challenged in court would change that. The percentage of campaign contributions being funneled through these independent PACs is growing, further weakening an already corrupt election finance system. The PACs also allow candidates who are beneficiaries of dark money to disavow any responsibility for the distortion or lies appearing in the ads.

What can been done about false or misleading political advertising?

First, it should be noted that there are a few narrow exceptions to the constitutional protections afforded to false campaign ads. There is no prohibition against the creation of independent commissions to judge whether ads are false or fair. The commissions can't impose fines or other penalties, but they can issue public findings, which could help discourage the worst abuses. New Jersey should consider such a commission, but it must be truly independent. Perhaps its members could be selected randomly, as is done with jury selection.

Second, while political ads must indicate the name of the fund-raising entity, they also should include contact information that would enable citizens to file complaints if they feel the ad is false or distorted.

Third, urge state legislators to continue the fight requiring that the sources of large, dark money contributions be revealed on the ELEC website.

Fourth, and perhaps most importantly, if you get bombarded with negatives ads or what you suspect are false allegations, whether they come from a candidate or an independent PAC, vote for the candidate's opponent.

Send a message that playing dirty doesn't pay.

Randy Bergmann, a Westfield native and lifelong resident of New Jersey, has been covering the state as a reporter, editor and opinion page editor for four decades. Contact him at rbergmann@app.com or 732-643-4034.