Unsubscribe: Opting Out Of Democratic Texts

If you're tired of receiving endless political text messages, you're not alone. With the upcoming 2024 US presidential election, Americans are bracing for an influx of campaign-related texts. While it may seem like there's no escape, there are a few things you can do to reduce the clutter in your inbox. Firstly, it's important to understand how political campaigns obtained your number in the first place. If you're registered with a political party or affiliated with a voting-related organization, you may have unknowingly provided consent for them to contact you. To revoke this consent, you can simply reply STOP to their messages, and legitimate campaigns should honour your request. Additionally, you can change your phone settings to filter out unknown senders, although this may cause you to miss important text reminders. Lastly, if you believe a campaign is violating FCC rules, you can report them by forwarding the text to 7726 (SPAM).

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Reply with STOP

If you're tired of receiving political text messages, you can take comfort in knowing that you're not alone. In October 2020, Americans received over 13 billion texts related to campaigns.

The good news is that there is an easy way to stop these unwanted messages. Legitimate text campaign operators should remove you from their lists if you simply reply with "STOP". This is because, according to the FCC, for texts that require consent, the caller must honour the called party's request to revoke consent.

In addition to opting out, you can also report messages that you didn't sign up to receive as spam. The FCC asks you to forward these messages to 7726. You can also file a complaint online. However, these steps will only work for legitimate text campaigns. If you suspect the number is from a scammer, it's better to block and report the number, as replying could let them know your number is real.

It's worth noting that changing your phone settings to filter out all unknown senders could help reduce the clutter in your text inbox. However, this may cause you to miss important text reminders for appointments or reservations.

Finally, if you want to stop receiving political texts, it can be helpful to understand why you're getting them in the first place. Political campaigns and voting organizations can access your voter information, which becomes available to the public after you vote. If you're registered with a political party or affiliated with a voting-related organization, you may have unknowingly provided your phone number.

Change phone settings to filter unknown senders

If you're tired of receiving political text messages, there are a few things you can do to stop them. Firstly, if you're receiving texts from unknown numbers, you can change your phone settings to filter out all unknown senders. This will help reduce the clutter in your text inbox. However, keep in mind that you might miss text reminders for appointments or reservations.

To filter unknown senders on an iPhone, go to Settings > Apps > Messages. Tap "Blocked Contacts", then scroll down and tap "Add New" to add the unknown numbers to your block list. Alternatively, you can turn on "Message Filtering" by going to Settings > Messages and turning on the toggle for "Filter Unknown Senders". This will create two message views in your Messages app: "Known Senders" and "Unknown Senders".

If you're using an Android phone with Google Messages, you can also filter unknown senders. Open the Messages app, click on the search box at the top, and then select the filter options that appear. You can filter messages by "Known" and "Unknown" senders, where "Known" refers to contacts saved in your address book.

In addition to filtering unknown senders, you can also try to opt out of receiving political texts directly. Most legitimate text campaign operators should remove you from their list if you reply with "STOP," as required by FCC regulations. If the organization is using texting software, they may have a specific keyword you can reply with to be removed from their list, such as "STOPALL," "ENDALL," or "CANCEL."

Report spam by texting 7726 or SPAM

If you are tired of receiving political text messages, there are a few steps you can take to stop them. Firstly, it is important to understand how political organizations obtained your phone number. If you are registered with a political party or affiliated with a voting-related organization, you may have provided your contact information directly or given them permission to text you about campaigns. In this case, you can simply reply "STOP," "STOPALL," "ENDALL," or "CANCEL" to their message, and they should remove you from their contact list.

However, if the messages are coming from scammers or unknown sources, it is best to block and report the numbers. You can do this by forwarding the messages to 7726 ("SPAM"), which is the designated number for reporting spam text messages. Most major carriers in the United States are members of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMA), so you can forward spam messages to this number without worrying about text limits. Alternatively, you can copy and paste the message content and send it to 7726. You may receive a response asking for the phone number that sent the spam, so be sure to reply with that number.

Additionally, you can adjust your phone settings to filter out unknown senders, although this may cause you to miss important text messages from senders outside of your contacts.

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Opt-out with keywords like STOPALL or ENDALL

If you're tired of receiving endless political texts from unknown numbers, there's an easy way to put a stop to them. Opting out of these messages is simple and only requires you to send a single text back with a specific keyword.

Political organizations are required to remove you from their contact list when you send them one of these opt-out keywords. In most cases, their texting software will automatically remove you from their list. The most common keywords recognized by these systems are STOP, STOPALL, ENDALL, and CANCEL.

So, the next time you receive a text from an unknown number asking for your vote or donations to a campaign fund, simply reply with one of these keywords. For example, you can reply with "STOPALL" or "ENDALL" to opt out of receiving any further texts from that organization.

It's important to note that this method works best when the sender is using texting software and has properly implemented SMS marketing practices. If you suspect that the number is from a scammer, it's better to block and report the number instead. Replying to a scammer may indicate to them that your number is active, leading to more unwanted messages.

Block numbers if they seem like scammers

If you're receiving scam calls or texts, there are several steps you can take to block the numbers and protect yourself. Firstly, you can register your number on the National Do Not Call Registry, which is free of charge. However, it's important to note that this won't stop political campaign messages. During election seasons, you're likely to experience an increase in calls and texts from political campaigns. While these communications are exempt from the National Do Not Call Registry, they must follow certain FCC restrictions. For instance, if you receive a political text message, legitimate operators should remove you from their list if you reply with "STOP".

Another way to block potential scammers is by using call-blocking apps, which are available for both mobile phones and landlines. These apps act as filters, using data and reports to predict and intercept illegal or scam calls before they reach you. Some popular examples include RoboKiller, Nomorobo, and Truecaller. Before downloading any app, be sure to research its reviews and check the company's online reputation to avoid malware. Additionally, some mobile phones have built-in settings that allow you to block calls and texts from specific numbers directly.

If you're receiving frequent spam calls, you can also filter unknown numbers. On iPhones, you can go to Settings, scroll and tap Phone, then enable "Silence Unknown Callers". On Android devices, the caller ID and spam protection feature warn you about potential spam calls while providing information about unknown callers. However, blocking unknown callers may also prevent important calls from new contacts or service providers.

For landlines, you can purchase and install a call-blocking device, which usually attaches to your phone. Some devices use databases of known scam numbers, while others allow you to create and update your own list of blocked numbers. These devices can help reduce unwanted calls, but they may also block some calls you want to receive.

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