As recently as early May, the slogan “Your Vote Matters” sounded innocent: a call to participate in the elections, smiling emojis, pastel colors. However, the TV Republika portal quickly noticed that beneath the flashy cover lay something entirely different. The portal raised the first alarm on May 21, when it described how the foundation was spending PLN 6,400–7,390 per day on ten ads that “humorously” portrayed young conservatives as backward and older believers as lost old-timers.
This is a tried-and-true tactic in political marketing: negative motivation. Instead of persuading voters to support a particular candidate, these spots mock one group to discourage them from voting. Rather than saying “vote,” they ask, “Do you really want them to choose your president?”—implying that if you don’t vote against the right wing, you’ll bring disaster upon the country.
Within a few days, the campaign expanded to include clips styled as “reels”—quick, 17-second gags that Meta’s algorithm promotes enthusiastically. The result? 1.4 to 1.6 million views per day, with a CPM cost of PLN 4–5—half of what official campaign teams typically pay. This is no accident, but a calculated strategy: late-night ad auctions, aggressive bids, and formats favored by the platform.
Where Do the Millions Come From? State-Owned Companies and Silent Sponsors
TV Republika reported on the foundation’s financial background as early as May 16. At that time, we revealed that the total bill for online spots since 2023 had exceeded PLN 700,000—and that the foundation’s board includes individuals associated with media mogul Tomasz Kurzewski. Even more intriguing is the donor list: among others, the ORLEN Foundation, PKO BP Foundation, and the Polish Business Roundtable Foundation collectively donated PLN 900,000 for “civic education.”
When PiS (Law and Justice) MPs requested a detailed report, the list of donors… disappeared from the official website. It was replaced with a vague statement that “everything is being conducted in accordance with the law.” The problem is that Polish law does not recognize the concept of a “third-party campaign entity”—an NGO that, in practice, conducts political agitation while bypassing campaign finance regulations.
The ads from the “Your Vote Matters” Foundation cleverly skirt the edges of electoral law. Posing as a voter turnout campaign, they actually ridicule Karol Nawrocki’s electorate while mobilizing Rafał Trzaskowski’s supporters. In a way, this is a voter turnout campaign—just one that encourages only one side to vote a certain way. It does so with vast sums of money, and this fact remains completely ignored by mainstream media. “The silence surrounding this issue is alarming,” comments Piotr Okulski, a strategic communications expert at the Observatory for Economic Development and Democracy.
Let’s Break It Down Calmly: Meta + Google = a Double-Digit Daily Budget
Meta Ads (Facebook + Instagram)
The ad library currently shows 11 active creatives. Eight of them fall within the PLN 4,000–4,500 range, and three fall within PLN 3,500–4,000.
Minimum total: 8 × PLN 4,000 + 3 × PLN 3,500 = PLN 42,500
Maximum total: 8 × PLN 4,500 + 3 × PLN 4,000 = PLN 48,000
Mid-range estimate: ≈ PLN 45,000
The campaign launched on May 20, so over six days, the daily spending is about PLN 7,100–8,000; the average taken is PLN 7,500.
Google Ads (YouTube, Display, Search)
According to the public Ads Transparency Center, the foundation spent PLN 16,500 over the same period on six different ad sets (1,250 + 3,000 + 3,000 + 3,250 + 3,000 + 3,000). That’s PLN 2,750 per day.
Total Bill
Meta + Google = approximately PLN 10,250 per day.
A lot? That’s three times more than what Karol Nawrocki himself spent online during the first round, according to the National Electoral Commission (PKW). So, the foundation is outspending even the candidate it targets—and it doesn’t submit any financial disclosures to the PKW.
Toothless Law: What Can the PKW, NASK, and Oversight Bodies Do?
The National Electoral Commission (PKW) has its hands tied. To ban the ads, it would have to prove that the foundation is campaigning on behalf of a specific candidate. But although the spots drip with innuendo, they don’t mention any names. Meanwhile, the election clock is ticking—just a few days remain before the campaign silence period.
NASK and its disinformation verification team can, at most, ask Meta or Google for details on targeting. But the process takes weeks; platforms have 30 days to respond. There’s also the issue of defining “political advertising”—global guidelines refer to “content concerning a candidate or public issue,” but the foundation cleverly presents its content under the guise of “voter turnout.”
The result is that money flows, reach grows, and state oversight is limited to press releases. The recent amendment to the electoral code, which was supposed to introduce the category of “third-party entities,” remains frozen in parliamentary limbo.
Why Should Every Voter Care?
1. Financial Scale: PLN 10,000 per day is a budget comparable to the spending of Karol Nawrocki’s and Rafał Trzaskowski’s campaign teams—except the “Your Vote Matters” Foundation is not subject to oversight by the National Electoral Commission (PKW).
2. Lack of Transparency: Public funds from state-owned companies are financing a campaign targeting a segment of the citizenry.
3. Impact on Turnout: Hate directed at one group is intended to reduce its motivation to vote, thereby distorting the election outcome.
4. Only swift legal reform or action from Meta and Google—blocking such ads when funded by entities other than official committees—can close this legal loophole.
There is only one week left until the second round. If the state is unable to protect the campaign process from “ghost foundations,” the burden of accountability falls on citizens and independent media.