Under Federal rules, issue ads can urge people to call their representatives on a topic but cannot ask them to vote for or against a specific candidate.

Half of the Republican primary voters said they would vote against a candidate who opposed the treaty.

The foundation of their argument is that I was inciting a religious group to vote against a black candidate because he was black.

And while they could vote against a candidate, it was unlikely that they ever would.

The ads can sway public opinion and so influence elections, without calling for the listener to vote for or against a candidate.

If their goal is just to vote against a candidate, they can do so more forcefully by approving all other candidates.

Penalties for voting against a candidate or not voting are severe.

Issue advertising does not come under Federal regulations unless it specifically says to vote for or against a candidate.

But only 15 percent of voters, most of them anti-abortion, said they would vote against a candidate on the basis of that issue alone.

There are lots of voters who will vote for or against a candidate based solely on abortion.