In American politics, "I approve this message" (sometimes in the past tense, with "authorize" in place of "approve," or with "ad" instead of "message") is a phrase frequently said by candidates for federal office in political advertisements on television and radio in order to comply with the so-called "stand by your ad" provision of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, enacted in 2002, that requires "a statement by the candidate that identifies the candidate and states that the candidate has approved the communication." An attack ad in election terms is an advertisement whose message is meant as an attack against another candidate or political party. ... A push poll is a political campaign technique in which an individual or organization attempts to influence or alter the view of respondents under the guise of conducting a poll. ... A smear campaign or smear tactics are deliberate attempts by an individual or group to malign another individual or groups reputation. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries â€¢ Politics Portal • • Politics of the United States of America takes place in a framework of a federal presidential... A phrase is a group of words that functions as a single unit in the syntax of a sentence. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) is U.S. Congressional legislation which regulates the financing of political campaigns. ...

The provision was sponsored by Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), with the stated intent of discouraging negative campaigning by forcing candidates to associate themselves with their attacks. Wyden has since proposed to extend the requirement to political advertising on the Internet. Seal of the U.S. Senate The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress, the other being the House of Representatives. ... Ronald Lee Wyden (born May 3, 1949) to German American parents, is Oregons senior United States Senator. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ... Official language(s) None Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 2. ... Negative campaigning is trying to win an advantage by referring to negative aspects of an opponent or of a policy rather than emphasizing ones own positive attributes or preferred policies. ...

The phrase can be said at any point during the ad, but is typically inserted at the beginning or the end. Some perceive the statement to be awkward and to make candidates look foolish; other candidates regard it as an opportunity to affirm or encapsulate the theme of their message: "I'm Howard Dean and I approve this message because it's time to take our country back." Howard Brush Dean III (born November 17, 1948) is an American politician and physician from the U.S. state of Vermont. ...

The phrase is sometimes used humorously in non-political discussion. In the 2004 campaign season, various businesses used this phrase in their ads in order to draw greater attention to themselves. Look up Humour in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Other countries

Similar practices in other countries include the Australian Electoral Commission's requirement of "“Authorised by..." followed by a name and political party^{[citation needed]} (and address, in print advertisements). These occur at the end of every advertisement and "how to vote" card. See Australian electoral system. The Australian Electoral Commission, or the AEC, is the federal government agency in charge of organising and supervising federal elections. ... A how-to-vote card from the Australian federal election of 2004, showing voters how to fill in the squares on the ballot paper if they wish to vote for the Liberal Party of Australia. ...