BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) -- As campaign advertisements ramp up this competitive election cycle, who are the people trying to persuade you? Are they real voters? Are they paid actors? The answer is, it depends. There's a lot of leeway when it comes to who can be featured in these ads. They are daily reminders the election season is here. But when you watch them, do you think -- as political science professor Nate Monroe said -- "Oh it's probably a paid actor. These campaigns are doing whatever they can to convince us." Other than the candidates, like Rudy Salas and David Valadao, who are running for California's 22nd Congressional District, here's who you're seeing and why. First, there are different types of ads. There are ads directly from the candidates' campaigns, paid for by them. These come with the disclaimer, "I'm David Valadao, and I approve this message" and "I'm Rudy Salas, and I approve this message." Then, there are hybrid ads -- when the candidate campaign and outside support groups collaborate. And there are independent expenditures from political action committees. PACs cannot coordinate with candidates. "The accountability, the compliance really relates to the transparency of who's funding the ads," explained Central Valley Political Strategist Tal Eslick. Eslick supports Republicans David Valadao and Vince Fong and has been involved in local, state, federal campaigns for about 20 years. These include several cycles with Valadao in his early political days. When it comes to the on-screen stars, political experts said they can be paid actors or real voters -- typically the latter -- if ads are from the candidates directly. "[They want to] film the candidate in their home space," stated Prof. Monroe, who added that content should be as authentic as possible. "Doctors and other healthcare staff that are willing to participate and can deliver a line rather than bringing in some professional actor," Monroe said, commenting on various topics -- such as healthcare -- candidates may advertise on. As for the rules and regulations governing who can be featured, Eslick remarked, "There's also no limitation that the person be a registered constituent of that district … You're really just looking for a profile and usually rely on campaign supporters or you can go to your local elected central committees, so like the local leadership of a political party." 17 News spoke with both the Salas and Valadao campaigns about ad strategy. Each said in their advertisements, they feature volunteers -- locals from the district with a personal or professional relationship to the candidates. They could be friends, family, people active in politics. The camps also noted the locations of campaign shoots are often public spaces like parks or were "donated" by supporters (i.e. if a voter owns a restaurant, they may offer the space to the campaign).Democrat Abel Lopez is featured in an anti-Valadao ad and said the Salas team approached him. "They asked me, and I said why not? I go, I know who he is, I follow, I know who he is, I always talk to him every time I have the chance to. And I truly believe in him," Lopez said. And Democrat Manuel Ramirez is a political candidate himself but volunteered to be on a pro-Salas mailer. "I know Rudy not just as a candidate but also on a personal level … The quote was mine, on the fly. Met up, took some pictures, and they determined that was the best one," Ramirez said. When it comes to ads by outside groups like PACs, paid actors may be more common. "They're not necessarily local to the campaigns, and they're not allowed to go out and follow the candidate around," Monroe said. "Anytime you see a political ad, it's someone painting the best possible picture of one side and the worst possible picture for the other." Monroe encourages voters to conduct their own research as well. And in the final stretch to the election, Eslick warned, "Voters can buckle up because it's going to get more aggressive up to the Tuesday here in a couple weeks." Election Day is Nov. 5.