Campaign messages in fortune cookies

Supporters of a bond proposal in Austin are trying to reach voters through their stomachs.

Asian food restaurants are distributing campaign messages tucked inside their fortune cookies, urging customers to back a $31.5 million proposal that would fund community and cultural facilities.

Ronald Cheng, owner of a local Chinatown restaurant, concocted the cookie idea based on his support for the proposal's inclusion of $5 million for an Asian American resource center.
He said he's gotten a lot of compliments about the campaign, but discounted any criticism. "It's a fortune cookie," he said. "You don't like it, you throw it away. It's not a big deal."



Fortunes bear a typical prophecy or personality observation on one side and the campaign message on the other: "Vote Nov. 7 for Prop 4/Invest in Austin's Creative Economy." More than 300,000 of the special cookies have been distributed to about 200 restaurants.

An official with the Texas Ethics Commission, which oversees election laws, said it's not clear whether the advertising cookies follow state election laws. The political ads don't specify who paid for them, which is required except for circulars and fliers that cost less than $500 to distribute.

"We've never looked at this, so I can't say the law is crystal clear," said Tim Sorrells, deputy general counsel for the commission.