I can’t vote in the upcoming election. It saddens me, because the way the politicians have campaigned would make the decision incredibly easy.

I am a Democrat. If I were a registered voter, I would be a registered Democrat. I am the first to admit that I could easily vote for someone just for being a Democrat. I still feel it is my duty to remain informed on a candidate and let the facts decide who should be elected. This year’s candidates have not made this task easy. Attack ads on Democrat, Independent and Republican candidates have littered every technological source. I see them on TV, on the radio and even before a YouTube video.

I can slightly understand why the Republican candidates would be on the offensive when it comes to advertising. For the first time since 1939, a non-Republican could be elected to the United States Senate. The reign of Republican Gov. Sam Brownback may end. That doesn’t excuse Brownback, Republican Sen. Pat Roberts and political action committees’ heinous ads that give no information whatsoever on the accomplishments they have achieved in their time in office. This could possibly be because they don’t have any, but that’s not my point. Attack ads give little information on the candidate and seem desperate and plain mean.

Greg Orman, the Independent Senate nominee for Kansas, has taken these ads pretty well. Instead of only attack ads, Orman gives examples of his accomplishments in his advertising. Excerpts of glowing reviews from local newspapers, and an actual campaign platform, are helpful when figuring out which candidate is more qualified. Even Republicans seem to support him. When Orman does use attack ads, he uses negative things that Roberts has clearly done to benefit the voter and former Republicans who have been turned off by his actions. For the amount of time Roberts has been in the Senate, there should be over a few accomplishments that he could use for a positive ad.

Brownback has undeniably used a past transgression to his benefit. Yes, Paul Davis went to a strip club once. Yes, he voted against removing them from having proximity to a school or church. If Brownback has voted for strip clubs as well, we probably could have used that tax revenue towards the school funding he cut. Give me something Brownback has done that is truly, undoubtedly, beneficial for this state. I doubt one can, based off the ads that are used on both sides.

A never-ending circle of negative ads is a dangerous game. If this continues, one can never be sure what is really true about a candidate. It is proven that negative ads don’t completely sway the voters to either side. Positive advertising with facts and information that tells the voters why the candidate should be nominated are truly beneficial for all political parties.