Obnoxious Ballot Ads Help Push State Campaign Spending to $175 Million

The figures always seem to be so absurd.

And this election is no different.

In fact, the Detroit News reports that an estimated $175 million has been spent this year promoting six statewide ballot proposals, plus electoral fights for control of the Michigan House and Supreme Court.

The News reports that $149.5million has been spent so far just on pushing the ballot proposals.

The upside: the obnoxious, and often misleading ballot proposal ads will suddenly vanish this week when the election is over.

"This is really all about the ballot stuff — that's what carrying the whole thing," Rich Robinson, executive director of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, which tracks money in state politics, told the News.