I swear this election has been the busiest for robo-calls. 90% of the calls to our landline are robo calls. I think when we move, we will change our # and make it unlisted. Will that stop them the next time around?
The mail is terrible! Every day I get 3 flyers from the same candidate, with the exact same info as the mail I received the day before, but with slightly different graphics. Based on that, alone, I have decided to vote for his opponent who has only sent me 4 mailers the whole time.
between them and the credit card people, i wonder why i'm even on the do not call list. doesn't seem to do much at all.
:P khairete
S.
You really should be able to be put on the do not call list.
If you have caller ID - it might help as well.
And yes, this election has been horrible for the ads, calls and mail....just think if they used that money to HELP our country instead of themselves....we might not be so far behind in education and we might not have homeless people....we can hope for change, right???
If it were me? I would call the candidate in question and tell him or her they have lost my vote due to their mailings and calls. Tell him or her that because your opponent has only sent me 4 mailers, I will be voting for him or her.
Use your voice. These people have forgotten who is boss it seems.
Have you considered saving them all and mailing them BACK to the candidate? How hilarious would that be?
If you call the campaign and tell them you don't want all their calls, they will take you off the list. They are using voter registration lists, volunteer-compiled lists from previous campaigns, and other sources. If you are not enrolled in a particular political party but are an independent (or technically, "unenrolled") then you will get calls from ALL the campaigns. If you have already made up your mind to support a candidate, tell them so, and the calls sometimes stop because they know you are committed already.
I wouldn't tell them I'm voting for the opponent just because I'm ticked off about the calls - it kind of belittles the whole political process and says "I don't care about the issues at all, I just vote on superficial characteristics like who's good looking, who's got better ads, and who's less annoying." I think that makes me look ridiculous. Besides, the opponents are making the calls too, so I'd be left with no one to vote for!
Also, a lot of times calls are not generated by the candidates themselves, but by other groups supporting them. Same as commercials - they are FREQUENTLY not endorsed by or paid for by the candidate's campaign. You can tell if the candidate's voice says, "I'm Joe So-and-so and I approved this message." Everything else is either by the state or national committee, or by lobbyists or other groups with a stake in the outcome.
When I get survey calls or "please support our candidate" calls, I definitely tell the caller I'm a solid supporter and they should spend their time on the "undecideds". They appreciate it and they focus their efforts elsewhere.
I'd also point out that we'd need a lot less mail and a lot fewer calls if more people voted. But because we have such low voter turnout in the U.S., the candidates try everything and anything. That's why I kind of throw up my hands at all the "Voter ID" campaigns - we just don't have a problem with voter fraud in this country. (The Justice Dept. under Bush 2 did a huge investigation, and they found only 85 or so cases nationwide, and many of those were innocent mistakes like registered voters simply showing up at the wrong precinct.) We have a Voter Apathy problem!
The earlier you get to the campaigns to tell them you are annoyed with the robocalls, the better. It does take a little while to get the lists updated and distributed to all concerned, but you can cut down. If you email the candidates or write a real letter too, that can get some attention.
I don't think there is any way to stop them. They are exempt from the Do Not Call Registry. I am getting the same calls as you. I also get nonstop calls from charities. The only way to put an end to them is to get rid of your landline. I can block calls on my landline phone, but I have already used up all the memory on the block feature!
Hi,
I worked a campaign in our state last year, and if we spoke to the person and they asked for no more calls, we had them removed from the list. It did take a couple of weeks to remove them from all lists. I'm not sure if this works for all campaigns.
Added: OMG, Diane B. says it all. I hope everyone takes the time to read her well written response. I think I may copy and send to my friends!
I have an unlisted number and am on the do not call list, and I get them all the time. They are exempt from do-not-call. Ridiculous.
I am taking note of which Illinois politicians have their campaign workers stick dozens and dozens of political signs in snowbanks. Two weeks ago there were hundreds of signs like this all over the area.... and now they're lying face down in mud. I definitely won't vote for morons whose campaign workers did this. They aren't surrounding themselves with very smart people.
it's funny you mentioned the flyers.. While collecting my giant pile yesterday, I pondered all the meals we could serve those in need with the money being wasted on campaigns.
political calls are exempt from the rules - go figure!
This is why I'm a registered "unaffiliate". For some reason, they don't care about my vote as much as a party liner or I just don't show up on their lists since I'm not aligned with a party. I get a couple during election times, but nothing like my dem or rep friends.
