Malcolm Rivera
Political campaigns have increasingly turned to text messages as a key part of their outreach strategy. In 2022, Americans received 15 billion political text messages, with those numbers increasing in 2024. While campaign calls and texts are exempt from the National Do Not Call Registry requirements, they are regulated by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and require the prior express consent of the recipient. This has, however, not stopped political campaigns from bombarding people with unwanted messages, with many people receiving text messages from political candidates without giving their consent. This has led to an increase in complaints and people looking for ways to stop these messages.
Can Political Campaigns Call Cell Phones?
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Need for consent | Political campaigns generally need the prior consent of the called party to send autodialed or prerecorded voice calls and text messages to cell phones. |
| Manual messages | Text messages sent manually by a real person do not require prior consent. |
| Opt-out | Campaigns must honor opt-out requests if the recipient replies "STOP" or "unsubscribe". |
| Spam | If you are receiving spam messages, you can report the sender by forwarding the texts to 7726 or "SPAM". |
| Complaints | You can file an informal complaint with the FCC at fcc.gov/complaints if you receive a political robocall or text that does not comply with the FCC's rules. |
| Block | You can block the number or filter out text messages from those not in your contact list. |
| Scams | Be cautious of deepfake calls using artificial intelligence and text messages with links that may contain malware or take you to unaffiliated websites. |
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What You'll Learn
- Political campaigns need prior consent to send messages to cell phones
- Political campaigns are exempt from the National Do Not Call list
- Political robocalls to landlines are allowed without prior consent
- Political campaigns must honour opt-out requests
- Political robocalls and robotexts are the FCC's top consumer complaint
Political campaigns need prior consent to send messages to cell phones
Political campaigns are exempt from the National Do Not Call list and, in the US, are governed by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). This Act contains specific rules that campaigns must follow.
The TCPA also prohibits political campaigns from using AI-generated voices in their calls, and any artificial or pre-recorded voice messages must include identification information at the beginning of the call. The TCPA rules also apply to protected phone lines, such as emergency or toll-free lines, or lines serving hospitals or similar facilities.
If you are receiving unwanted texts or calls, you can report the sender by forwarding the texts to 7726 or "SPAM", and you can also file an informal complaint with the FCC.
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Political campaigns are exempt from the National Do Not Call list
Political campaigns are exempt from the National Do Not Call Registry requirements. However, this does not mean that they can send unsolicited messages without any restrictions. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) contains specific rules that political campaigns must follow when sending calls or texts.
The TCPA prohibits political campaigns from making autodialed or prerecorded voice calls, including autodialed live calls, autodialed texts, and prerecorded voice messages, to cell phones or other mobile devices without the prior express consent of the recipient. This means that if a campaign wants to send autodialed texts or make autodialed calls to cell phones, they must first obtain the recipient's consent. On the other hand, political campaigns can send manually typed text messages or make manually dialed calls without prior consent.
If you are receiving unwanted political text messages or calls, you can take several steps to stop them. First, you can reply "STOP" or "unsubscribe" to the message or call. Campaigns should honor these opt-out requests. You can also block the number or filter text messages from unknown numbers in your phone settings. Additionally, you can report the sender by forwarding the text to 7726 or "SPAM". If you believe a political campaign is violating the TCPA, you can file an informal complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) at fcc.gov/complaints.
It is important to note that political text messages or calls may sometimes be scams. Be cautious of links in text messages, as they may contain malware or lead to fraudulent websites. Instead of clicking on links, go directly to the official website of the candidate or organization to donate or obtain more information.
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Political robocalls to landlines are allowed without prior consent
Political campaigns have been increasingly using phone calls and text messages as a strategy to reach out to voters. While this is an effective method, it is also important to be mindful of the rules and regulations surrounding such outreach strategies.
In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates political robocalls and robotexts through the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The TCPA outlines specific rules that political campaigns must follow when making robocalls or sending robotexts to potential voters.
One important distinction in the regulations is between landlines and mobile phones. Political robocalls to landlines are generally allowed without prior consent. However, there are limitations and exceptions to this rule. For example, political campaigns are limited to no more than three calls to a landline without prior consent within any consecutive 30-day period. Additionally, any artificial or prerecorded voice messages used in these calls must include certain identification information, such as the identity of the individual or entity initiating the call.
On the other hand, political robocalls and robotexts to mobile phones require the prior express consent of the recipient. This includes autodialed or prerecorded voice calls, autodialed live calls, autodialed texts, and prerecorded voice messages. If a campaign has the necessary consent, they must also honor the recipient's request to revoke consent at any time.
It is worth noting that robocalls and robotexts are a common source of consumer complaints, and the FCC takes non-compliance with its rules seriously. If you believe you have received a political robocall or robotext that does not comply with FCC regulations, you can report it by forwarding the message to 7726 ("SPAM") or by filing an informal complaint with the FCC.
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Political campaigns must honour opt-out requests
Political campaigns are exempt from the National Do Not Call list. However, they must adhere to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and other FCC rules. Under the TCPA, political campaigns are prohibited from contacting someone who has registered their phone number on a DNC list. The federal government maintains the National Do Not Call List, and 11 states have their own DNC registries.
Political campaigns must obtain prior express consent from the recipient to send autodialed or pre-recorded voice messages to mobile phones. This consent can be given implicitly, for example, when someone provides their phone number for marketing purposes. However, if the recipient has not given their consent, political campaigns must honour opt-out requests. Recipients can revoke their consent at any time and in any reasonable manner, such as replying "unsubscribe", "stop", or "I do not consent". After receiving such a request, campaigns must stop sending messages and calls to that number.
If you are receiving unwanted text messages or calls from political campaigns, you can report the sender by forwarding the texts to 7726 or "SPAM". You can also block the number or filter out text messages from unknown numbers in your phone settings. If you believe a campaign is violating FCC rules, you can file an informal complaint at fcc.gov/complaints. Additionally, phone companies use call-blocking tools to prevent illegal and unwanted calls from reaching their customers.
It is important to note that political text messages sent manually by a real person are exempt from the prior consent requirement. These manually sent messages are more common for political campaigns as they are not considered "robotexts" and do not fall under the FCC's regulations. However, campaigns have stated that they will respect opt-out requests for these manually sent messages as well.
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Political robocalls and robotexts are the FCC's top consumer complaint
Political campaigns have increasingly turned to phone calls and text messages as a key part of their outreach strategy. In the 2022 election cycle, Americans received 15 billion political text messages, with those numbers spiking in October in the lead-up to voting day in November. Americans also received 384 million political calls in 2022.
While campaign calls and texts are exempt from the National Do Not Call Registry requirements, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) contains specific rules they must follow. Political campaigns are prohibited from making autodialed or pre-recorded voice calls, including autodialed live calls, autodialed texts, and pre-recorded voice messages, to cell phones or other mobile devices without the called party's prior express consent. The same restrictions apply to protected phone lines, such as emergency or toll-free lines, or lines serving hospitals or similar facilities.
However, political campaigns often claim that their text messages are sent manually by a volunteer or campaign staffer, which means they do not require prior consent. This is because the FCC Telephone Consumer Protection Act only regulates "robotexts," or automatic messages sent by a computer. Nevertheless, campaigns should honor opt-out requests if you reply "STOP" to a text or ask not to be called again on a voice call.
If you think you've received a political robocall or text that does not comply with the FCC's rules, you can file an informal complaint with the FCC at fcc.gov/complaints. You can also report the sender by forwarding the text to 7726 (or "SPAM"). In addition, you can legally block the transmission of your phone number when you make calls, so your number appears as "unknown." Phone companies also offer call-blocking tools to stop illegal and unwanted calls from reaching your phone.
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Frequently asked questions
You can reply "stop" to unsubscribe. You can also block the number, or go to your messages settings and filter out text messages from anyone not in your contact list. If you think the text breaks FCC rules, you can report it by forwarding the text to 7726 ("SPAM").
Political campaigns do not need your consent to send text messages if they are typed manually by a real person. However, they do need your prior express consent to send text messages using an autodialer or pre-recorded voice messages.
Political campaigns are exempt from the National Do Not Call Registry requirements. However, they must follow the rules set out by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). This includes rules about consent, as outlined above.
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