Tired of political texts? Here's how to stop getting them

There are many reasons to vote early, but one big motivator may be to put an end to the bombardment of political campaign texts and phone calls.

Casting your ballot is the easiest way to halt those calls, but if you haven’t yet voted, there are still steps you can take to limit the amount of incoming texts and calls during election season. Here’s how.

How to stop getting political texts, phone calls (and other messages)

Leading up to any election, many people are by now familiar with political campaign texts and calls.

Believe it or not, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act contains rules callers must follow when making campaign calls or sending texts, according to the Federal Communications Commission.

The FCC lists the following rules on political campaign robocalls and robotexts:

• Landlines: Political robocalls (autodialed or prerecorded) are allowed without prior consent.
• Cell phones: Political calls, texts, or prerecorded messages require the recipient’s prior permission—unless sent manually.
• Robotexts: Autodialed political texts need consent; manually sent texts do not.
• Caller Identification: Prerecorded or artificial voice calls must begin with the caller’s name, phone number, and the name of the organization they represent (if calling on behalf of a third-party).

As you can see, many political texts and calls require your consent. The FCC says that you can revoke your consent at any time in any reasonable manner by replying “STOP” to a text or asking not be called again in a voice call.

You can also try reporting the sender by forwarding the texts to 7726 (or “SPAM”), the FCC states.

How to report unwanted political calls and texts

Think you’ve received a political robocall or text that is against the FCC’s rules? File an informal complaint with the FCC at fcc.gov/complaints.

How to file a complaint with the FCC

The FCC offers a multitude of ways to file a complaint.

• File a complaint online
• By phone: 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322); ASL: 1-844-432-2275
• By mail (please include your name, address, contact information and as much detail about your complaint as possible):

Federal Communications Commission
Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau
45 L Street NE
Washington, DC 20554