With less than two weeks left until the Aug. 18 primary, busy intersections are starting to fill with yard signs and mailboxes are choked with political mailers.
Some of that content is AI-generated. Chatbots and graphic design tools have become increasingly free and available since 2022. As such, they have also found their way into national politics, through deepfakes, intentional parodies and targeted outreach.
Most of the Teton County coroner candidates said they used generative technology in some part of their campaign materials.
Two of the county commission candidates – the first-time runners – used AI to brainstorm.
Karyn Chin said it helped her research local history, such as the complex, multi-year planning and negotiations around housing in northern South Park. Ali Dunford used it as a “thought partner” while answering lengthy questionnaires. She’s filling out five from different organizations.
“Without AI, it probably would have taken four times as long,” Dunford said.
None of the older commission incumbents or challengers said they used AI. Luther Propst did not respond to a request for comment. Three-term commissioner Mark Newcomb said he’s used the same logo since 2014 and refers to his own record of meetings.
“If it’s a question about housing or a question about transportation or whatever, I have my sources,” he said.
Most candidates are also trying to add personal, human elements to their campaigns. Chin and Wes Gardner are out door knocking. Dunford and Newcomb are hand-writing letters. In a small town, they say those measures go further than computer-generated designs.
“You can hire someone to mail things for you. You can put ads up for you on the internet or in the newspaper… but you showing up at someone’s door means a lot,” Chin said.
In the race for coroner, Russell Nelson said he leaned on his brother-in-law who is more savvy with AI.
“He generated some stuff based on what I’d told him I wanted to say, and then he gave it to me and I edited it to get it right,” Nelson said.
Kat Clauson, another coroner candidate, also had to workshop her AI responses to get it right. She used the tech assist for lawn signs and a color scheme. That was after the local designer she tried to work with was too busy, she said.
It took some time to figure out how to prompt the technology, she said. At first, wonky, uncanny results were “incredibly frustrating.”
The primary is Aug. 18. Early voting is underway at the Teton County Administration Building.
