Malcolm Rivera
Political campaigns have been increasingly relying on mobile phones and online polls to reach voters, as the number of Americans relying solely on cell phones continues to grow. However, landlines still play a significant role in political campaigns, especially in polling and robocalls. Landline telephones are frequently used for political campaign-related autodialed or prerecorded voice calls, even without prior consent, as they are exempt from the National Do Not Call Registry requirements. This has raised concerns about the accuracy of polls and the potential for biased results, as landline users tend to be more conservative and may not represent the general electorate. Additionally, political campaigns are now leveraging mobile location data to target voters, raising privacy concerns.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Landline use in political campaigns | Political campaigns use landlines for robocalls and polling |
| Robocalls | Political campaign-related autodialed or pre-recorded voice calls are permitted to landlines without prior consent |
| Polling | Landline polls are biased towards older, more conservative voters; cell phone polls capture younger voters with more liberal views |
| Location tracking | Political campaigns use location tracking to target voters, often using data from commercial data brokers |
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What You'll Learn
- Landlines are used for polling, but cell phones and online polls are more popular
- Political campaigns can use landlines for autodialed or prerecorded voice calls without prior consent
- Cell-only users are more liberal than dual users with a landline
- Location data from mobile phones is used by political campaigns to target voters
- Political robocalls must include identification information at the start of the message
Landlines are used for polling, but cell phones and online polls are more popular
Landlines are indeed used for political polling, but this is just one part of the overall landscape. Cell phones and online polls are also heavily used for this purpose.
Political campaigns have access to a lot of information about voters, including their voting history, income, interests, and news consumption habits. This information is often obtained from commercial data brokers, such as Experian and Acxiom, who aggregate sensitive data from various companies. This data increasingly includes people's locations and movements, which are tracked through their phones. Dozens of companies provide this data, offering new services specifically designed for political campaigns. They use a variety of techniques to home in on an individual's location, often starting with publicly available information from state voter files and then cross-referencing it with locations shared by the individual's phone or web browsing history.
Phone polls (both cell and landline) remain the most popular approach to political polling, with online polls coming in second. However, since online polls are generally cheaper and quicker to produce, a majority of active pollsters rely on them. It is worth noting that even within a single method, there can be variations in implementation. For example, some pollsters use Interactive Voice Response (IVR) to reach phone poll participants, which may produce different results than traditional human phone polling.
There is evidence to suggest that the method of polling can impact the results obtained. For example, support for Republican candidates was found to be significantly higher in samples based only on landlines than in dual-frame samples that combined landline and cell phone interviews. This could be because individuals with only a landline tend to be somewhat more conservative in their political views than those with a cell phone. Additionally, young people are particularly difficult to reach by landline, as many do not have one, and those who do may not use it regularly. As the number of people relying solely or mostly on a cell phone continues to grow, there is an increasing likelihood that public opinion polls conducted only by landline will be biased.
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Political campaigns can use landlines for autodialed or prerecorded voice calls without prior consent
The TCPA permits political campaign-related autodialed or prerecorded voice calls to be made to landline telephones without prior express consent. However, there are important limitations and exceptions to this rule. Firstly, political campaigns are limited to making no more than three autodialed or prerecorded voice calls to a residential landline phone without prior consent within any consecutive 30-day period. Secondly, artificial or rerecorded voice messages must include certain identification information. The entity or individual initiating the call must be clearly stated at the beginning of the message. If the caller is a corporate entity, its official business name must be stated clearly.
It is worth noting that this rule only applies to landlines, and prior consent is generally required for political campaign robocalls and robotexts to mobile phones. Additionally, campaigns must honor opt-out requests, such as replying "STOP," and must comply with the FCC's rules regarding revocation of consent.
The use of landlines in political campaigns is also prevalent in polling and data collection. While the number of Americans relying solely on cell phones has been increasing, landline calls are still a popular method for conducting polls, particularly among older demographics. This has led to concerns about biased results, as those with only cell phones tend to be more liberal and have lower voter registration rates.
To target voters effectively, political campaigns also utilize location data from mobile phones. They employ commercial data brokers and political tracking firms to gather information such as demographic data, online browsing habits, and physical locations. This data is then used to create comprehensive profiles of voters and laser-target their attention with tailored messages and advertisements.
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Cell-only users are more liberal than dual users with a landline
The number of Americans relying solely on cell phones has been increasing over the years, which poses a challenge to public opinion polling, which typically involves a random sample of landline subscribers. This has led to a potential bias in landline-only surveys.
Dual users, when reached on their cell phones, are younger, more likely to be Black or Hispanic, less likely to be college graduates, and more likely to vote Democrat than those reached on their landlines.
In pre-election polls in 2010, support for Republican candidates was significantly higher in samples based only on landlines compared to dual-frame samples that combined landline and cell phone interviews. The difference in the margin among likely voters in 2010 was about twice as large as in 2008.
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Location data from mobile phones is used by political campaigns to target voters
Political campaigns have been leveraging location data from mobile phones to target voters more effectively. This practice involves collecting and analyzing information about individuals' movements and geographical contexts to inform campaign strategies. While this data has been used to enhance campaigns, it raises concerns about voter privacy and the potential for misuse or doxing.
Location data from mobile phones offers political campaigns valuable insights into voter behavior and preferences. By tracking individuals' locations, campaigns can infer interests and beliefs, such as attendance at rallies or events affiliated with specific political parties or ideologies. This information helps campaigns categorize voters as supporters, non-supporters, or undecided, refining their targeting strategies.
Data brokers and political data companies play a significant role in this process. They collect and sell location data, often in conjunction with other publicly available information, to campaigns. For example, companies like i360, TargetSmart, and Grassroots Analytics specialize in providing data that is particularly useful for campaigns. This includes details such as cell phone locations, allowing campaigns to rank individuals based on travel patterns during specific events like the pandemic.
Additionally, advertising companies like El Toro offer services that target ads to specific street addresses by cross-referencing mobile advertising IDs and IP addresses. They claim high accuracy rates and increased voter turnout, assuring clients that they act as a "clean room proxy" to protect voters' personally identifying information.
The use of location data in political campaigns underscores the value of information during elections. While campaigns have traditionally relied on public data, such as voter registration and address information, the incorporation of location data from mobile phones adds a new dimension to voter profiling. This evolving landscape of data-driven campaigning highlights the importance of transparency and ethical considerations in the handling of personal information.
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Political robocalls must include identification information at the start of the message
Political campaigns have access to a lot of information about voters, including their previous voting history, income, interests, and news consumption habits. They also have access to location data, which is a powerful tool for campaigns to use in targeted messaging. This data is often sourced from commercial data brokers, who can provide a wide range of information on voters.
While this data is used for targeted messaging, it is important to note that campaigns are also bound by certain rules when it comes to contacting voters. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) contains specific rules that political campaigns must follow when making robocalls or sending robotexts. For example, prior express consent is generally required for robocalls and robotexts to mobile phones. However, an exception is made for political robocalls to landlines, which are allowed without prior consent, but with some limitations.
Political robocalls to residential landlines without prior consent are limited to no more than three calls within any consecutive 30-day period. Additionally, and importantly, these robocalls must include certain identification information at the start of the message. This includes clearly stating the identity of the individual or entity initiating the call. If the caller is a corporate entity, its official business name must be stated clearly at the beginning of the message.
The FCC has also ruled that artificial or rerecorded voice messages, such as those using AI-generated voices, are considered "artificial" under the TCPA. This ruling was made following an investigation into illegal robocalls made to New Hampshire voters that used AI-generated deepfake voice technology. As such, voice cloning technology used in common robocall scams is now illegal in many cases.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, political campaign-related autodialed or pre-recorded voice calls are permitted to landline telephones without prior express consent. However, there are rules that campaigns must follow, such as honouring opt-out requests.
Landlines are used for polling and reaching voters, especially older voters who are more likely to have a landline.
Political campaigns can obtain landline numbers from commercial data brokers such as Experian and Acxiom, which provide demographic data, credit scores, online browsing habits, and news consumption habits.
