How New Yorkers Can Stop Political Text Messages and Calls

New York residents are being bombarded by political text messages they never signed up for. Experts say there is a way to stop it.

It seems like every hour I'm getting a text alert from candidates from both parties asking me for my vote, a donation or to volunteer for their campaign. I'm not sure how I got on the lists for both Democrats and Republicans, but it's been driving me bonkers.

I think it all stems back to the presidential election of 2016. That year Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump held political rallies in Poughkeepsie, New York. I was assigned to cover both events for the radio station and must have somehow landed on each of their mailing lists. After that, the lists got shared with other political candidates and now I've apparently become the most sought-after voter in New York state.

How to Stop Political Text Messages

While it's illegal for companies to market their products or services to people who never opted in to receive text messages, political advertisements fall into a gray area with surveys, polls and nonprofit organizations. However, many of the messages you're receiving were likely opted into by accident. That's what we get for being impatient and just clicking "agree" without reading the fine print.

Luckily, there's an easy way to stop the messages once they start coming. Simply replying to the message with the word "stop" will get you off of a majority of the lists for good. However, there are some very aggressive campaigns that will not take no for an answer. In my experience, I've had to block the numbers of several right-wing candidates after they blatantly ignored my pleas to stop. Blocking helps for a while until that number is shared with another member of their party and the whole process begins again.

How to Stop Political Phone Calls

While an unwanted text message can be a minor inconvenience, endless political phone calls can completely ruin your life. I've been receiving an unusually large number of political calls from both parties this year and have finally figured out how to stop them.

Ignoring the calls doesn't work since the caller ID usually only shows a local number. It's impossible to know if it's that call you've been waiting for from the doctor, your kid's teacher or a passionate volunteer asking you for $10 to help stop immigrants from eating neighborhood pets.

While my instinct is to simply hang up, this only guarantees a call back later. I've learned that if you simply agree with these relentless volunteers they will go away (at least for a little while). I usually say something like "You have my full support but unfortunately, I don't have time to volunteer or donate". This has been very effective in stopping the endless harassment from both parties.

Is There a Way to Stop Political Emails, Postcards and Flyers?

If you are having trouble cleaning out your inbox and your recycling bin is filled with glossy flyers featuring pictures of smiling candidates you may be wondering if there's a way to stop the flood of advertising. The answer is no.

I spent an entire month attempting to unsubscribe and block every political email, but they just kept coming. Campaigns are relentless, and once they have your email and home address there is really no way to stop them from constantly sending you messages.

Luckily, Election Day is only about a month away. After that, the politicians will most likely go back to ignoring us until they need our vote again in a few years.