How are politicians able to lie in TV ads? Here's what voters need to know

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Voter David Cardenas told ABC13 that the last few election cycles have left him second-guessing many political claims.

"Whether I support the candidate or not, I think I tend to be a little pessimistic and be like, 'Oh, I wonder if that is true or if that is not true," Cardenas said.

And he isn't the only one.

"Every ad is just a version of what they want to say at that moment," voter Carson Spiegel said.

Should these voters be worried politicians can freely and openly lie to them over the airwaves?

"Yes, in some settings," Rice University political science professor Bob Stein said.

Stein said that unlike the Federal Trade Commission, which does not allow false advertising in commercial ads, the Federal Communications Commission, which regulates network TV, does not regulate political ads.

The FCC says that by law, network airwaves, like ABC13, must air all political candidate ads regardless of the content.

"You can say whatever you want, (that's) what we call free speech," Stein said.

Private companies like cable news and social media can refuse commercials. In more recent history, CNN refused to air several Trump ads, saying they contained falsehoods.

"Because you buy cable like a newspaper or magazine, it's not regulated like broadcast news," Stein said.

Politicians lying in ads is not new. Stein said it's traced back to the conception of America's government, and often, it is worse when races, locally or nationally, are very close.

"When things get close, people do things they think will get the margin to make a difference. And if lying and misrepresenting the truth helps them get elected, so be it," Stein said.

Stein encourages voters who question ads to do their own research on the topic and have multiple reliable sources that either back up or debunk what you heard.

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