How effective are smear campaigns?

Anyone who has ever been the subject of a smear campaign knows how targeted and isolated malicious gossip, distortions and untruths can make you feel. To the victim of a character assassination, the false allegations are entirely unjust. Yet many unscrupulous politicians will use negative campaigning as a tactic against an opponent for one simple reason: It works.

Negative ad campaigns are effective at discouraging some voters to stay home. While voter turnout was increased all over Newmarket in 2014, the number of voters in Ward 6 dropped as compared to prior elections. Likely this decrease in voter turnout was a result of the negative ad campaign conducted by Snap Newspaper. Above all else, the goal of the negative campaign is to diminish democracy.

If you are ever the victim of a smear campaign, remember that the person who has targeted you fears two things. They fear being exposed. Therefore you must never ignore their actions in hope that they will leave you alone. Secondly, they fear losing control. You must always take back the control over your own good name. Never let someone get away with talking about you behind your back.