Minnesota Candidates: Information About Captioning Ads

Published 09-12-2008

There is now a new law that requires all candidates for office who file with the Campaign Finance Board to caption their television and internet ads and post internet transcripts of their radio ads. Minnesota citizens who are deaf and hard of hearing who want to get information about candidates through political ads will now be able to do so.

Senator Rest demonstrates here the power of captioning in creating accessibility.

Transcription

Hello. I’m Senator Ann Rest.

You were able to read my introduction to this video, but not hear it. The captioning allowed you to see what I said. Captioning closes the communication gap between voters who can hear and voters who are Deaf and hard of hearing. That’s 10% of all voters in Minnesota.

We passed a new law in the 2008 legislative session. Candidates who accept public funding for their campaigns must now caption their ads on TV and online. They also need to post scripts of their radio ads on their web sites.

With captioning and script posting, all potential voters with access to televisions or computers will be able to hear, or see, campaign ads. It’s easy and inexpensive. It’s the law. But more importantly, it’s also an opportunity for candidates to engage more voters in their campaigns for public office.

View more information for candidates on captioning ads

This video was produced by Senate Media Services and is used with permission.