We're just four days away from election day and nearly every commercial break on television has campaign ads. Many of them are negative.
The Associated Press says across the country candidates will spend $3-billion trying to get you to vote for them and not vote for the other candidate.
Attack ads saturate air waves and websites.
Michael Harris of Flint says, "I don't generally like it, but I don't know if you can stop these politicians from doing what politicians always do."
Carol Dickinson of Davison says, "It does not work for me. It turns me off." Dickinson says she receives up to five phone calls a day telling her not to vote for a candidate.
Mott Community College political science professor Paul Rozycki says, "The reason why negative ads exist is because they work." He says negative messages are quicker and easier to recall than a laundry list of credentials.
Some of the most prevalent ads are those against attorney general candidate David Leyton. His opponent's campaign created a website called "Leyton's victims" saying it's educating the public.
Rusty Hills, campaign manager for Bill Schuette says, "A lot of times, folks just don't have the time or the ability to research candidates. What we do is put the information out there that shows who Bill Schuette is, who his opponent is, what their records are, and who the best candidate is."
David Leyton tells NBC25, "When you don't have the credentials, you shift the focus to the other guy and you try to tear down his reputation. That's pretty much what's happened here."
Leyton attacks Schuette on his website saying Schuette sided with an insurance company that is supporting Schuette's campaign.
"Sadly, attack ads work. They seem to move the voter and as long as the electorate allows that to happen, you're going to keep seeing attack ads."
Political experts say negative ads also convince some voters not to vote at all so the other side doesn't need as many votes.
Political experts say one of the most effective negative ads recently was from the democratic party. The "sleeping judge" attack ad in 2008 of then Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Cliff Taylor is credited with getting Diane Hathaway elected.
