Fed up with campaign calls and texts? Here’s how to opt out your PA phone number
We’re less than 50 days away from the 2024 presidential election, and Pennsylvania is an important swing state, which likely means residents will see more texts and calls trying to get out the vote.
With Pennsylvania’s deadline to register to vote Oct. 21, expect that outreach from campaigns and other organizations will only increase over the next month.
If you’re already receiving multiple campaign calls and texts every day and feel exhausted by them, don’t fret. While you likely won’t be able to eliminate them entirely, there are steps you can take to dramatically reduce them so they don’t become as invasive.
Here’s what to know about how campaigns get your information in the first place, and what you can do to cut down on annoying campaign messages.
How do political campaigns get your phone number to begin with?
First, it helps to understand something you may take for granted as you go about your daily life. Every day, behind the scenes, there’s an entire industry of information brokers and buyers looking to capitalize on the data you share about yourself, perhaps without evening realizing it.
If you’ve ever seen a targeted ad based on your online shopping, searching or social media habits, you likely already know this.
Political campaigns can also leverage this information when they’re trying to build a profile of you. However, the process often starts from a more conventional, low-tech source — your voting record.
How you’ve voted is kept confidential, but just about every other data point, from your political party registration to your address to how often you vote, can be put into a profile that helps campaigns decide whether you’re a supporter, nonsupporter or undecided.
States often make this public information available upon request. Requests can be made at the state or county level in Pennsylvania. Allegheny County for example, makes this information easy to request online through an online portal.
Political campaigns are allowed to do this because it’s largely protected by the Constitution, specifically under the First Amendment rights to freedom of speech, assembly and to petition the government. Some states may make certain caveats, however.
How are they reaching out to me if I’m on the ‘do not call’ list?
The campaign may have obtained your phone number by requesting your voting record.
Alternatively, you may have given the campaign your information at one of their events or registered with another candidate at some point in the past. One campaign may share your information with another if their broader political goals are aligned.
If you are on the National Do Not Call Registry, you might be wondering why you’re receiving campaign calls and texts in the first place. This is because, along with being protected by the First Amendment, this type of political outreach is not considered a commercial solicitation subject to federal telemarketing law.
However, this does not mean political campaigns aren’t subject to any rules.
What restrictions do campaigns face and how do you opt-out?
Campaign calls placed to landlines generally face fewer restrictions, but autodialed calls, texts and pre-recorded voice messages (aka robocalls) to mobile phone numbers are more closely regulated.
If a campaign is calling through a landline, it generally does not need consent from the person receiving the call. However, calls and texts made to wireless numbers do require consent beforehand. For calls and texts that require consent, campaigns are required to honor opt-out requests, such as by replying “STOP” to a campaign text or asking not to be called again.
While you likely won’t be able to eliminate these calls and texts completely, there are steps you can take to minimize and control them:
Beyond replying “STOP” to a campaign text, you can also block the number.
Try filtering unknown senders on your phone. iPhone users can toggle this on in their message app’s settings. For Android users, it works similarly. Look for the setting under “spam protection,” as explained by CNET.
Rethink your approach to online privacy in general. Adjust the privacy settings on your social media accounts to reduce the data that can be mined from you. Disable personalized ads. Be more guarded with your location data and which apps are allowed to use it.
Use a browser extension like Privacy Badger to shield yourself from being tracked online.
Report bad actors. If you suspect a campaign has violated the rules, file an informal complaint with the Federal Communications Commission.
This story was originally published September 19, 2024 at 9:25 AM.