Illinois Political Advertising: Send Us Your Ads

As we approach the final days before the 2018 midterm elections in Illinois, consumers of media find it difficult to avoid being inundated with political advertising. Illinoisans face no shortage of reminders to do their civic duty during the countdown to the Nov. 6 general election, thanks to historically profligate spending in the gubernatorial race fueled by the state's centimillionaire incumbent and his billionaire challenger, "issue" and candidate ads aided by outside funding in hotly contested congressional races and the standard factually questionable advertisements supported by state parties and local millionaire donors.

Whether by broadcast, by print, or online, wannabe professional and volunteer politicians and those working on their behalf will stay focused on getting their message out all the way up until Election Day. (Full disclosure: Patch is a website that accepts political advertisements, but please do not contact its editors about it because they have nothing to do with that.)

But you may find Illinois politicians have still found a way to slip their messages into your home even if you turn off broadcast TV, commercial radio and block out all the ads. (If you find an actual politician inside your home without authorization, close this website and call 911 immediately.) It's the magic of direct mail, and it remains a widely used technique to reach voters, even if the glossy dispatches of mediocre graphic design and sketchy photoshopping go straight from the mailbox to the recycling bin.

If that seems like a waste, we may have a solution for you. Before you dispose of those pieces of political speech, snap a quick photo with your phone and email them to: ILPolitics@Patch.com, with permission to post on our Patch network of sites.

You can send them in their original form without comment, or you can provide a caption. You can alter them. You can deface them. It may have been paid for by political committees but it's yours now. You can send ones that you like, or you can send ones you abhor. You can send ones that remind you of the good times... You get the picture. We're just looking to document who's sending what to whom, and what they think about it.

So take a picture and drop us a line if a piece of political mail catches your eye this election season. Attempt to include the organization listed as providing the source of the mailer. We will seek to exclude any identifying information included with the images and we will not use your name unless requested. Let us know if you would like any caption or comment to accompany your submission.

But regardless of the advertising, vote in your local election if you want a say in who governs your community, writes your laws, collects your taxes and provides you services. If you're not already registered: Online registration remains open with Illinois State Board of Elections until Sunday, Oct. 21 and is available to any United States citizen who will be 18 years or above on Election Day. Make sure you're registered at the correct address and find your polling place.