With election day a few weeks away, the political advertising is coming faster and more furious. For voters already tired of the negative ads that have been running, it’s a hard time to bear.

Experienced political operatives may well chuckle when they hear voters complaining about negative campaigning – more appropriately referred to as mud slinging. For all the condemnation of the practice we hear, it sometimes seems to pay off.

Ironically, it seems most effective when the attacks have little or nothing to do with the real issues in an election.

Much of the negative campaigning originates not with candidates themselves, but with independent organizations. Many of them rely on out-of-state funding.

Political candidates and the organizations that support them use this strategy because it often works. Until voters decide they won’t vote for candidates who engage in mudslinging, the practice will continue.