Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts is conflicted about trends in the state’s August 26 primary.

On the one hand, she is dismayed that “Already, more than $5 million in dark money has been spent trying to influence your vote by … well, we don’t really know who it is who so badly wanted you to vote a certain way in Tuesday’s primary. (Although, in a couple of races, I am Absolutely Positively Sure that I have a pretty good idea.)”

On the other, she is encouraged that “This year, however, we’ve seen signs that [independent voters] are awakening. Independent turnout in Tuesday’s Republican primary is expected to reach at least 14 percent. This, compared with about 8 percent two years ago.”

Thus, in Ms. Roberts’ view, “The story of this election will be the rise of dark money and the awakening of independent voters.”

Interestingly, she seems to view the “awakening” of independent voters – which really means an increase in voter turnout and public awareness about candidates – as a response to independent spending, but not as an effect. As she celebrates the rise of an independent voter bloc that she imagines would weaken the “strong grip on Arizona” currently held by the “hard right,” she simultaneously calls on the Arizona Legislature to make that nasty, horrible, no-good independent spending go away:

“And be warned: these shadowy special interests will have an ever bigger bullhorn in future years, as their shrieks and screams overwhelm even the candidates’ ability to be heard. That is, unless the Arizona Legislature demands disclosure – something it has so far shown no interest in doing.”

Here we see the true purpose of disclosure: to get people to shut up. Ms. Roberts hopes that people will just stop talking if we invade their privacy and publish their name, occupation, employer, address, and political contributions for the entire world to see. She’s not alone.

Ms. Roberts continues: “What is good for the American way? The arrival of independent voters.”

Left unanswered is the crucial question of *why* independent voters suddenly got involved. But another recent article in the Arizona Republic explored the topic, using one independent Arizona voter as an example of a growing trend. The article explains, “He can’t pinpoint a specific race, issue or instance of partisan bickering that pushed him past the breaking point, but he does recall being turned off by the tone of the congressional races [in 2010].”

Hmmm, from my reading, it sure sounds like this man was motivated to become more informed and politically active by an increase in the amount of speech about candidates, much of it through independent spending. He says he was “turned off” by the tone, and yet what he actually did was turn on his desire to vote, casting his first primary vote as an independent in 2014.

The use of “turned off” to describe voters’ reactions to campaign advertising is revealing. In the minds of many, if campaign speech inspires voters to support a candidate, it is good, but if campaign speech repulses voters to oppose a candidate, it is bad. Thus voters are said to be “turned off” when they are actually becoming more active, and commentators like Ms. Roberts can simultaneously celebrate the arrival of independents while demonizing what brought them to the polls.

We often have to remind folks that voters are not sheep. They do not simply pull the lever for whichever candidate spends the most money on advertising. What campaign spending does do is increase voter knowledge and interest in elections. If Ms. Roberts wants to see independent voters continue to grow in Arizona, she shouldn’t advocate for disclosure policies that will reduce the overall quantity of information about candidates available for voters. Stifling speech is the last thing we should do if we’re trying to get more people to the polls.

Political participation because you love Candidate A or hate Candidate B is still political participation. If it’s a good thing that people who usually don’t vote are suddenly voting now, then rising independent spending ought to be celebrated for its role in motivating these voters too.