ATLANTA -- If you’ve received an unexpected phone call from a political campaign you are not alone.
Metro Atlanta voter Tina Guined has been getting them and wonders why the National Do Not Call Registry has failed to block them.
“It’s bad enough they’re calling my landline, but now I’m being hit with text messages and no way to opt out,” says Guined. “Help!”
Political campaigns are exempt from the registry. Guined asked 11Alive’s Why Guy to find out why.
The Do Not Call Registry is there to stop pesky telemarketers and others who want your money.
If it’s a sales call you can stop them.
Mitchell Katz of the Federal Trade Commission tells 11Alive that calls from political campaigns are permitted because it is not an issue of commerce.
“They’re not trying to sell you something,” says Katz. “It’s a free speech issue.”
There are laws to protect you from certain types of political calls.
Computer generated robocalls are allowed if they go to your landline That’s why you might hear a pre-recorded voice pushing a candidate when you answer your home phone.
Robocalls and computer generated texts to your cellphone are not allowed according to the Federal Communications Commission. Calls or texts that use autodialing technology are against the law.
However, if it’s a real human being who calls or sends you a text pushing a candidate, that is allowed.
You can block a number from future calls, but The Do Not Call Registry won’t stop a different political campaign from contacting you.
