Isabella Carter
Political mail, including flyers, brochures, letters, and postcards, is a common way for political candidates and parties to promote their platforms and messages. While this can be an effective strategy for campaigns, it may be overwhelming for recipients, especially during election seasons. Fortunately, there are several ways to reduce or stop receiving political mail, as well as unwanted calls and texts. This introduction will discuss various methods to manage and minimize the amount of political mail one receives, including online tools, direct requests, and other practical solutions.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Political campaign-related robocalls and robotexts | Allowed to landlines without prior consent, but limited to 3 calls within any consecutive 30-day period |
| Revoking consent | Can be done at any time and in any reasonable manner, such as replying "STOP" to a text or asking not to be called again on a voice call |
| Political campaign-related autodialed or pre-recorded voice calls | Prohibited to cell phones, pagers, or other mobile devices without the called party's prior express consent |
| Artificial or re-recorded voice messages | Must include the identity of the individual or entity initiating the call at the beginning of the message |
| Stopping political emails | Clean Email is a feature-packed inbox organizer that can be used to manage large volumes of political emails during election periods |
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What You'll Learn
Opting out of prescreened offers
If you're tired of receiving prescreened offers of credit and insurance in the mail, you have a couple of options for opting out of those offers. OptOutPrescreen.com is the official Consumer Credit Reporting Industry website that allows you to opt out of firm offers of credit or insurance. A firm offer of credit or insurance is defined as any offer that will be honored if the consumer meets the specific criteria used to select them for the offer.
Opting Out for Five Years
To opt out of prescreened offers for five years, you can either:
- Visit optoutprescreen.com
- Call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688)
The phone number and website are operated by the major credit bureaus. When you call or visit the website, you will be asked to provide personal information, including your name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. Providing your Social Security number and date of birth is optional, but doing so can help ensure that your request is successfully processed.
Opting Out Permanently
To opt out of prescreened offers permanently, you can start by either:
- Visiting optoutprescreen.com
- Calling 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688)
After starting the process, you will need to sign and return the Permanent Opt-Out Election form, which you can obtain from the website. Requests to opt out are typically processed within five days, but it may take several weeks before you stop receiving prescreened offers, as some companies may have accessed your information before your request was processed.
It's important to note that opting out will only stop prescreened offers based on lists from major credit bureaus. You may still receive offers for credit and insurance based on lists from other sources. Additionally, opting out will not stop mail from local merchants, religious groups, charities, professional and alumni associations, or companies with which you already do business. To stop mail from these groups, you will need to contact each source directly.
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Using Clean Email's Sender feature
Clean Email is a powerful tool that helps users declutter their inboxes and keep them free of junk and unwanted emails. It offers a range of features, including smart filters, rules, screener, and unsubscribe options, to help you manage and remove emails in bulk efficiently.
The "Unsubscribe" feature allows you to view all your subscriptions and newsletters in one list, making it easy to search, select, and unsubscribe from unwanted emails in bulk. Clean Email will automatically unsubscribe you from these emails, ensuring you no longer receive them.
The "Screener" feature acts as your personal assistant, blocking all mail from unknown senders. You can review screened senders and decide whether to keep or remove them from your list. This feature ensures that only emails from real people reach your inbox, while subscriptions and automated messages are stopped before they clutter your inbox.
Additionally, Clean Email provides smart cleaning suggestions based on your preferences and community best practices. It tailors these suggestions to your specific mailbox and email behaviours, allowing you to quickly find and organize emails with predefined filters. You can sort emails by date, size, senders, and recipients, making it easy to clean and organize your mailbox.
Clean Email also offers an "Advanced Filter" feature, which can be used to identify and filter out unengaged subscribers. This is particularly useful if you send campaigns less than four times a month or during specific seasons. By using the Advanced Filter, you can set conditions to match those of unengaged subscribers and remove them from your list.
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Reporting unsolicited texts
Political campaign-related autodialed or pre-recorded voice calls, including autodialed texts, are prohibited to cell phones without the recipient's prior express consent. If you are receiving unsolicited texts, you can report them by forwarding them to 7726 or "SPAM". Campaigns should also honor opt-out requests if you reply "STOP".
If you think you've received a political robotext 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 call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688) to opt out of prescreened offers of credit and insurance in the mail.
You can also report unsolicited texts on the messaging app you use. Look for the option to report junk or spam. Additionally, you can report scams and suspicious communications to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
It's important to be cautious when receiving unsolicited texts, as they could be from scammers trying to trick you into giving them your personal and financial information. They may, for example, promise free prizes or gift cards, or they may offer you a low-interest credit card. Legitimate companies will not ask for information about your account by text, so if you think a message might be real, contact the company using a phone number or website you know is genuine.
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Complying with the TCPA
While political campaign calls and texts are generally exempt from the National Do Not Call Registry requirements, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) outlines specific rules that campaigns must follow. Here are some guidelines to comply with the TCPA and reduce unwanted political mail:
Consent Requirements:
Political campaigns must obtain prior express consent (PEC) from recipients before sending robocalls or robotexts to mobile phones. PEC is not required for calls to landline phones, but such calls are limited to no more than three calls within any consecutive 30-day period.
Artificial or Prerecorded Voice Messages:
The TCPA considers artificial voices, including AI-generated voices, as "artificial." Therefore, political campaigns must clearly state the identity of the individual or entity initiating the call at the beginning of any prerecorded message. If the caller is a corporate entity, its official business name must be provided. The telephone number of the caller must also be included during or after the message.
Honouring Opt-Out Requests:
Campaigns must honour opt-out requests from recipients. If a recipient replies "STOP" to a text or revokes consent during a voice call, the campaign must respect their request and stop sending further messages.
Penalties for Non-Compliance:
Political callers face the same penalties for TCPA violations as commercial ventures. Violations can result in penalties of up to $500 per call, increasing to $1,500 for willful violations.
State Telemarketing Laws:
In addition to the TCPA, political campaigns must also comply with state telemarketing laws. These laws vary by state, so it is important for campaigns to research and understand the specific requirements in their respective states.
By following these guidelines, political campaigns can ensure they are complying with the TCPA and respecting the preferences of individuals who do not wish to receive political mail.
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Opting out of promotional mail
Register with the Association of National Advertisers (ANA)
The ANA's website, DMAchoice.org, allows you to register your preferences for catalogues, magazine offers, and other promotional mail. For a $6 processing fee, you can choose what type of promotional mail you want to receive or stop receiving. Your registration will last for 10 years. If you don't have online access, you can send your name, address, and signature, along with a $7 processing fee, to the ANA via mail.
Opt Out of Prescreened Offers
If you want to stop receiving prescreened offers of credit and insurance in the mail, you can opt out for five years or permanently. To opt out, visit optoutprescreen.com or call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688). For a permanent opt-out, you will need to sign and return a form after initiating the process online or over the phone.
Stop Political Campaign Robocalls and Texts
During election seasons, it is common to receive an influx of political robocalls and texts. While these are exempt from the National Do Not Call Registry, you can still request to opt out. If you receive unwanted texts, you can forward them to 7726 ("SPAM") to report the sender. For calls, you can revoke your consent by replying "STOP" or asking not to be called again. You can also file an informal complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) if you receive political robocalls or texts that do not comply with their rules.
Manage Political Emails
To manage large volumes of political emails during election periods, you can use inbox organizer apps such as Clean Email. These apps can help you unsubscribe from unwanted emails, block senders, and organize your inbox to make it more manageable.
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Frequently asked questions
You can use Clean Email, a feature-packed inbox organizer that allows you to block and bulk unsubscribe from unwanted emails.
If you are receiving unsolicited text messages, you can forward the text to 7726 ("SPAM") to report the sender. You can also reply "STOP" to revoke your consent and opt out of receiving further messages.
Political campaign-related autodialed or pre-recorded voice calls are permitted when made to landlines, even without prior consent. However, you can file an informal complaint with the FCC if you think you have received a political robocall that does not comply with the FCC's rules.
To decide what types of mail you do and don't want, you can register at the Association of National Advertisers' (ANA) website DMAchoice.org and choose what catalogs, magazine offers, and other mail you want to get.
