Texting Political Campaigns: A No-Go For Voter Privacy

Political campaigns are exempt from the National Do Not Call Registry requirements, but there are still ways to reduce the number of unwanted political texts you receive. During election season, it is common to receive an influx of texts from political campaigns, which can be frustrating and make it difficult to find messages from friends and family. While scammers are harder to stop, legitimate political campaigns should remove you from their contact list if you reply with STOP.

Explore related products

Princeton Readings in Political Thought: Essential Texts from Plato to Populism--Second Edition

$41.98 $49.95

The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work (The Jossey-Bass Management Series)

$10.91 $47

Writing News for TV and Radio: The New Way to Learn Broadcast Newswriting

$78.99 $83

Inventors of Ideas: Introduction to Western Political Philosophy

$138.23 $149.95

Democracy and the History of Political Thought

$55.99 $55.99

Disrobed: An Inside Look at the Life and Work of a Federal Trial Judge

$20.61 $29.95

Political campaigns are exempt from the Do Not Call list

Firstly, it is important to understand how political campaigns obtain your phone number. You may have willingly provided your contact information when registering with a political party or voting-related organization. In some cases, you may have given them specific permission to send you texts about upcoming campaigns. Additionally, if you have used your phone number for online ordering, marketing, or social media platforms, you may have unknowingly agreed to share your number with other service providers.

To stop receiving political text messages, you can reply with keywords like "STOP," "STOPALL," "ENDALL," or "CANCEL." Legitimate text campaign operators are required to remove you from their list upon receiving such requests. However, if you suspect the number is from a scammer, it is recommended to block and report the number, as replying may indicate to them that your number is active. Additionally, you can adjust your phone settings to filter out unknown senders or use third-party apps to block unwanted messages.

While political campaigns are exempt from the Do Not Call list, they are still subject to certain restrictions. For example, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) outlines specific rules for robocalls and robotexts. Political campaigns must obtain prior consent for robocalls and robotexts to mobile phones, and they are limited to no more than three robocalls to residential landlines within a 30-day period. Additionally, campaigns must honor opt-out requests and clearly provide their contact information in their messages.

How to stop receiving political texts

Political text messages can be very annoying, especially during election season. While campaign phone calls and text messages are exempt from the federal Do Not Call list, there are still some ways to reduce the number of political texts you receive. Here are some steps you can take to stop receiving political texts:

Reply "STOP"

According to the FCC, legitimate text campaign operators should remove you from their list if you reply with the word "STOP". This is because, in general, robocalls and robotexts to mobile phones require prior consent. For calls and texts that require consent, the caller must honour the called party's request to revoke consent. You can revoke consent at any time and in any reasonable manner, such as replying "STOP" to a text.

Block the number

Blocking the number is another way to stop receiving political texts. If you suspect the number is from a scammer and not a campaign, it is better to block and report the number because replying to a scammer lets them know your number is real.

Filter out unknown senders

You can change your phone settings to filter out all unknown senders. This will help to reduce the clutter in your text inbox. However, on the downside, you might end up missing text reminders for doctor's appointments or restaurant reservations.

Forward the text to "7726"

If you receive a text that you think breaks the FCC rules, you can report it by forwarding the text to "7726", which spells out the word "SPAM".

Withdraw your consent

If you have given specific permission for a political organization to text you, you can withdraw your consent. You can revoke consent in any reasonable manner, such as asking not to be called again on a voice call.

It is important to note that these steps may not be effective in stopping all political texts, especially those from scammers. However, they can help to reduce the number of unwanted political messages you receive.

Scammers and illegitimate political texts

Political campaigns are exempt from the National Do Not Call Registry requirements. However, this does not apply to scammers and illegitimate political texts. Scammers are harder to stop than legitimate political text campaigns. While legitimate companies that violate the rules can face a fine of over $50,000 per call, scammers do not adhere to such rules.

Scammers may send links that contain malware or direct you to websites that are not affiliated with a campaign or candidate. They may also ask for last-minute donations. To avoid scams, it is recommended to always start at the official government website to check your status and ballot preferences. Most local boards of elections do not send out direct text messages, and third-party groups sending these texts may be using outdated or incorrect data. It is important to carefully examine the URL in the link to ensure it leads to a legitimate site.

If you receive unwanted political texts, you can report them by forwarding the text to 7726 ("SPAM") or blocking the number. Additionally, legitimate text campaign operators should remove you from their list if you reply with "STOP". This applies to both robotexts and manually sent texts.

To reduce the number of unsolicited texts, you can change your phone settings to filter out unknown senders.

Explore related products

Utopia (Key Concepts in Political Theory)

$16 $19.95

Machiavelli in America

$22.95

Abundant Community: Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods

$2.99 $24.95

Political Economy and Sociolinguistics: Neoliberalism, Inequality and Social Class

$36.85 $40.95

Political Geography

$58.84 $188.95

Water Capitalism: The Case for Privatizing Oceans, Rivers, Lakes, and Aquifers (Capitalist Thought: Studies in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics)

$39.54 $41.99

FCC restrictions on political campaigns

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has a Political Programming staff that oversees the implementation of federal statutes and the administration of rules and regulations relating to political programming and campaign advertising. This includes radio and television broadcast stations, cable television systems, satellite TV providers, and satellite radio licensees. The FCC's political programming and campaign advertising rules govern the circumstances under which these broadcast stations and other regulatees air political-related advertisements.

The FCC's Political Programming staff resolves issues related to "reasonable access" and "equal opportunities" for legally qualified federal, state, and local candidates. They also handle the prohibition on censorship of candidate-sponsored ads, ensuring "lowest unit charges" and "comparable rates" for advertising, and maintaining on-air sponsorship identification for political advertisements. Broadcast stations, cable system operators, and licensees are required to maintain public inspection files, which include political files.

The FCC maintains an online Electioneering Communications Database, allowing the public to determine the reach of communications sent via broadcast stations, networks, cable systems, and/or satellite systems to people in a particular Congressional District or State.

During election seasons, there is often an increase in calls and texts from political campaigns. While these are exempt from the National Do Not Call Registry, they must comply with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). Political campaign-related autodialed or prerecorded voice calls, including autodialed live calls, autodialed texts, and prerecorded voice messages, are prohibited to cell phones and other mobile devices without the called party's prior express consent. The same restrictions apply to emergency or toll-free lines and lines serving hospitals or similar facilities. Political campaigns must honor opt-out requests, such as replying "STOP."

How political campaigns obtain your phone number

During an election season, it is common to receive an increased number of calls and texts from political campaigns. While this can be annoying, it is important to know that campaign calls and texts are exempt from the National Do Not Call Registry requirements. However, there are still rules that political campaigns must follow when contacting you. For example, robocalls and robotexts to mobile phones generally require prior consent.

So, how do political campaigns obtain your phone number in the first place? There are a few ways:

• Data brokers: Political campaigns often purchase voter data from data brokers, which may include your name, address, phone number, and even information about your political preferences and donation history.
• Public records: Your phone number may be available through public records, such as government or voter registration records.
• Social media: If you have a public social media profile, political campaigns may be able to access your phone number through this.
• Previous political involvement: If you have previously donated to a political campaign or participated in a political event, your phone number may be shared with other campaigns or causes.
• Data sharing: Political campaigns often share data with each other, so if you have given your phone number to one campaign, it could be passed on to others.

It's important to note that while you may not be able to completely stop political texts, you do have the right to revoke your consent for a campaign to contact you. You can do this by replying "STOP" to any text you receive, and the campaign is required to honor this request. Additionally, if you feel that a campaign is violating FCC rules by contacting you without your consent, you can file an informal complaint.

Frequently asked questions