Government Advertising

Dean Knight blogs that having local body advertising such as Wellington City’s IntensCITY week celebration should not happen so close to the local body elections, as it can advantage the incumbents.

Dean is right, and also (perhaps unwittingly) provides the rationale for the old 90 day period for central Government elections.

Traditionally, in the last 90 days, you:

• stop all Government advertising programmes (and Govt goes into caretaker mode almost)
• Parliamentary advertising stops except the absolutely banal such as electorate office hours
• party spending limits kick in

If you get rid of the 90 day period, then you are in a weaker position to say hey that government advertising campaign shouldn’t be happening. Because it is silly to suggest there can be no govt advertising all election year, but it is quite reasonable to restrict it in the lead up to an election.