Submitted by thatgotmegood t3_ynajee in RhodeIsland
I’ve gotten at least five or six texts about voting. Some seem from the state, others are from political groups. The last one had my address and polling place in it from “voting futures”, which was kind of cool I guess, but I’m not sure how they’d have my cell, and have it tied to my address.
Sometimes an organization that endorses a candidate, like a local union or planned parenthood or something will text on behalf of a candidate without the candidate’s knowledge. So please don’t let the mild annoyance of a text turn you off from a good candidate! The midterms and local elections are crucial and people are trying to use every tool they have to get their messages heard
Most of the candidates are already shitty as it is, so I have no idea what you’re talking about. I can’t believe there are people out there that seriously have no issue with this whatsoever. Annoying the fuck out of people with actual mail, emails, and texts isn’t the way to get their vote.
What is? I mean. I know it’s annoying, but campaigns are annoying. Most mailers get thrown in the trash, most emails get deleted, most voters don’t actually watch debates and forums, and candidates can’t physically knock on every door. They have to reach voters somehow. How would you suggest they do that without being annoying?
I’d suggest they don’t do it at all since most people already have their mind made up as to who they’re going to vote for and the 5-10% of people who don’t, aren’t gonna have their mind swayed one way or another by a candidate’s campaign.
That’s not true. Undecided voters especially in local and state elections are a much larger group than that, and the campaigning makes a huge difference in elections. Maybe try volunteering for a local campaign, it might change the way you see this.
They’re never a much larger group than that, ever. People lie to polls.
I’d never volunteer for a local campaign and I know damn well it wouldn’t change my mind. You have political brain rot.
Thanks for diagnosing my political brain rot! I’ve been wondering what that smell was! I guess the best treatment for that is to stick my head in the sand while ultra right-wing Christian nationalists get elected to local school Committees and start banning books and firing gay teachers. At least I won’t have to see any of those pesky text messages ! 😄👍
Oh the irony.
???
If voting was mandatory it wouldn't happen. Unfortunately a lot of people don't vote and that's why we do it. Voting is very important and we want the will of the people to represent the people. We're mostly volunteers trying to have elections that favor our neighbors ❤️
Cool.
No one wants your texts.
Thanks.
If people voted more reliably we wouldn't text you. Fix the root issue and you free yourself of volunteers trying to help you
I've voted in every election since I was old enough to do so.
I don't have to fix shit and it should be illegal for asshole campaigns to send me unsolicited text messages.
For the record, I had no dogs in any fights during the primaries. So I took my phone with me and scrolled through my messages and voted AGAINST anyone who messaged me.
Fuck out of here with that shit.
That isn't fixing your problem.
FYI, when everyone reports your spam texts, you get on lists of spammers and automatically blocked, making it difficult or impossible to contact people for legitimate purposes.
I know. Do You have a better idea for reaching people and reminding them to vote? I'm all ears and love to hear them
Wow, what a really fucking stupid take that is.
Elaborate.
Most of the time, your name, number, and address are public info, unfortunately.
I didn’t think cell phones were, but really have no idea. I know name and address are public with a house purchase, but not cell.
The amount of information in your voting file is ridiculous. The White Pages wishes it had that much info
So true
Lots of people have a cell phone as their main line and have no home phone (myself included).
Also, selling contact info is very common among businesses.
Technically correct. They’re owned by your provider. They likely sold it with your demographic info and bam, enjoy your texts.
This is true but the data is from the census and the voter registration data. Once you vote, within a week they stop contacting you.
I got a couple of texts from Ashley Kalus. Blocked both numbers, for all the good it'll do.
I got one inviting me to a DeSantis rally in FL!!! 🤣
I haven't lived in Florida since 2016, and they still send me all their political spam texts. I'm not even on the voter rolls there anymore!
I’ve NEVER lived in FL, no idea why they’re texting me!
Between the campaign texts and CVS constantly texting me to remind me that my prescription needs to be filled in 3 weeks my phone has been blowing up for a month.
What day will you pick up your prescription? Reply by text: 1) Today, 2) Tomorrow, 3) YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE WHEN WHEN WHEN!
“You’ve got an automatic refill for AL coming up, would you like us to check if it’s in stock?”
Shouldn’t you be doing that anyway?
Ugh me too. I just keep replying 'Stop' and hopefully they will.
Same. Annoying!
5 or 6? I get like 5 or 6 an hour. Can't wait until it's over.
None of the texts are about local races. Mark Kelly in AZ. Rev. Warnock in GA. John Fetterman in PA. That’s what I get for being a dyed in the wool Dem. and who agrees that all of these people must win for the good of the country.
Same
Odd. I'm politically active and am on a lot of mailing lists but I've only had one text about the general and two/three for the primaries.
A campaign will spend more effort contacting people who don't have a solid voting history, than contacting those who vote frequently. They are assuming you will show up to vote already!
Hot tip: if you vote early at your town/city hall, most organized campaigns will filter out those who have already voted and you’ll avoid the majority of the GOTV campaign text messages and phone calls.
Can confirm this isn’t true lol I voted early and I have more messages than ever before
Yeah, Not every campaign does it, unfortunately. Some just text any number they can find
Can confirm. I work on a campaign and we filter out the early voters daily.
And sorry to everyone getting blown up right now 😬
I have tried to text back with “stop” like they say to do, but it never works. I’m so sick of this shit. Makes me not even want to vote at all
Were you ever going to vote at all?
I think the fact whether I was going to vote at all is irrelevant. The issue is spam text messages. If you love receiving spam phone calls and text messages, congrats. You might be the only one.
Why , then, did you raise an irrelevant issue?
Why are you picking an argument with me because I stated I’m sick of receiving spam text messages? You must be having a boring night. ✌️✌️✌️
No, you’re not that tedious. Your complaint is trivial in context is all.
We understand it's annoying but at the end of the day you are only hurting yourself by not voting. They will actually bother you more if you don't vote. Voting early is how you get most of them to stop
You know what's a good way to get them to stop? Sending them obnoxious messages telling them to f**k off. Trust me. I know from experience. :)
“You are only hurting yourself by not voting”
What gives you the right? I can’t WAIT to not vote this year now, and I was gonna vote blue too!! Enjoy :)
> “Voting is cringe.” - u/TrulyGreatGamer, November 1, 2022
After learning the definition of the word "political" last week
Happy to serve
Uppercase G gamer moment
Imagine thinking voting is a vehicle for change lmao
Ohh to be young and edgy again
To be mid-late 30s and posting
Big brain move. Let me vote against what is good for one so that I can fail at making someone online sad. I hope you out grown that some day 🙂 I believe in you ❤️
Yes, and I haven't been registered to vote in RI for years - moved out of state
Yup
I get them from both sides despite having voted already like it’s too late for all of you just go away I can’t wait for Wednesday
6-12 per day for the last 6 weeks here in AZ
AZ is one of the most contested states for this election so it makes sense you get a lot. Shits scary over there
😡😡😡I received 5 yesterday 2 today I'm over this shit texting me like we went to middle school together 😡😡
Volunteer for campaigns here: the data is from the census and from voter registration data. It's one of the few ways that we can legally reach voters that haven't voted. Normally if you vote, within a week they will stop contacting you. So early vote! If there was a less annoying way of upholding democracy in these crazy times, we would do it.
I immediately change my vote to vote for the person that isn't spamming my phone.
It’s not always the candidate texting you! Sometimes it’s an endorsing organization and the candidate has no knowledge of it. Please don’t base your vote on wether or not you get a text message, there are much more important distinctions between candidates to base your vote on
I mean if you want to fuck yourself over with your own vote, by all means that is your freedom to do. I don't think it's wise but this is the double edge of freedom i accept
This.
How do you feel about the fact that you're engaging in text spam?
I feel good that I'm doing everything I can to make sure more people vote, exercising their freedom and right to do so. I'm glad I'm a small part in making sure that LGBT rights, reproductive rights, environmental reforms are upheld or improved tanks to me and other volunteers and those that vote ❤️
I appreciate that volunteering makes you feel good but you've completely avoided the question - implying that at least subconsciously you understand unsolicited spam if frowned upon by the majority and viewed as wrong.
If you know a better way of contacting people that haven't voted I would love to change our strategy. I don't like spamming people but i like people not voting even less and it's one of the few ways we can contact people that need to vote.
Did you include your phone number on your voter registration OR a mail ballot application?
If you use your cell phone as the number for the board of canvassers they will contact you through it by any means
You’re lucky. I’ve lived in a few states, some I haven’t lived in for over a decade, and every state, both parties, are texting me.
Yes I get them and just delete/ignore them
All the time. Apparently my name is Oluwatobi. I made the mistake of replying "stop" to one so now they don't stop. They always text from different numbers too after I block the ones that they sent before.
I just keep responding with “you guys keep texting me and annoying me so I’m voting for the other person”
It's crazy that no matter what you do you can't stop unwanted calls.
It would be great if someone invented something that not only blocked them but sent a virus back to the robo callers devices which incapacitated them.
just write STOP and you'll be opted out. it's one of the few ways for campaigns to reach people. we unfortunately have extremely low voter turnout in this state and country.
I just flag them all as spam. The worst are the ones that text a photo of Trump.
The Trump ones should be illegal..it is lewd content as far as I am concerned.
Illegal??
Yeah like how you can't send unsolicited dick pics.
Hahahahahahahahah
I refuse to vote for anyone who texts me.
I have not, but my wife has. Which is odd because she was usually the one that hardly ever gave her number out to any regards programs, or even outreach programs.
I’m getting texts from ppl running in the Midwest. Where I lived over 15 years ago. And had a different phone number….
I'm getting voting texts for the wrong people too. It's so frustrating I might have told them to alternatively fuck off and/or buy a better phone list.
(if it's a local area code, odds are it's someone volunteering to willingly spam people for a political campaign.)
Also, I saw in another reddit thread you can remove your phone and email information from your voter registration since it's not required.
Yeah I’m getting texts too, it’s annoying.
I haven’t gotten anything this election cycle.
[deleted]
Same here. I've never gotten them before this year. Bizarre
I’ve told Chuck Schumer to STOP but he’s not listening.
Yes, and they probably don't know your number they are just blasting everyone.
If you use your phone at all, your number is out there.
Seriously if anyone has ANY and all ideas to find a better way for volunteers trying to uphold democracy to contact voters that haven't voted yet please let me know. I'll pass the word
I do but I don't mind it.
User0098237490 t1_iv7ypff wrote
Shit shouldn’t be legal to do. I automatically resent any candidate who does shit like that.