To slate or not to slate?

At this time each election season, a plethora of slate cards appear in all our in-boxes. Buy me! they shout. The candidates all get the pitches directly too. Shouldn't I be on this one? they ask, anxiously.

The answer of course is it all depends. Here is a list of just a few slate mailers I've been pitched in the past and recently.

COPS  just what it sounds like, law enforcement leaning slate mailer, but caveat, NOT sanctioned by the police unions.

California Voter Guide     Target – Republicans 

Budget Watchdogs        No pure Dem HH's. Translation: these are the anti-pension people

Election Digest             Target – Democrat and Decline To State

Senior                          Seniors

there are also cards aimed at ethnic voting blocks, Latino, Chinese and sometimes environmental cards.

The Local Democratic Party and clubs often do their own mailers. These are paid for by the Party or the Club and will put on their endorsed candidates. If you have to buy it, it's NOT an official Party mailing.

The problem with all of these is you don't necessarily know the company you will be keeping. That is, what other candidates and which ballot measures will also appear on the mailer? 

Some mix up Dems and Republicans as the example below. Some say they are a Democratic mailer, but put ballot measures on that the Democratic Party opposes. So it's a crap shoot.

Campaign Slut rule of thumb - Save your money for your own mailing and media. Only buy space on a slate mailer if there is plenty in the bank and you trust the vendor of the slate. And do work those endorsements from legitimate groups who do their own slates.