"You can't help but look at it": Are campaign text messages effective?
SACRAMENTO — Political organizations are utilizing technology to mobilize voters; CBS13 got answers on how these texts are being sent and whether the medium is effective.
When someone registers to vote, information like their name, address, and phone number become publicly available for campaigns to do their outreach.
Companies like Political Data, Inc. provide detailed voter information to political organizations. These groups then use targeted messages specifically designed for their different demographics of voters.
While snail mail can be a passive way for political organizations to reach voters, the California GOP uses text messages to remind voters of upcoming deadlines.
"It's a very high impact medium," Bryan Watkins, the Chief Operating Officer of CA GOP, said. "For us, using text messaging is a good way to say 'Look, you have your ballot, you received your ballot…now it's time to turn it back in.'"
While the days of snail mail are not over, the California GOP says texts have proven to be an effective way to engage voters.
"It's highly visible," Watkins said. "We see open rates extremely high on text messages. We have 95 percent deliverability in a lot of cases, so it's an easy way for us to get in front of voters that we know are with our candidates and with us."
Paul Mitchell, the Vice President of Political Data, Inc., says getting data on voters is "as old as our democracy."
The means of obtaining this data have evolved and become more sophisticated with advancements in technology.
The company works with thousands of campaigns across the state. This information can be used for polling, mailers, text messaging, or digital ads. Similar to how the postal service delivers campaign materials to homes, Political Data, Inc. (PDI) provides data to both sides of the aisle.
"When we provide data to campaigns, we're not telling them how to use it," Mitchell said. "We're not advising them on their messages. We'll often have both sides of ballot measures…where PDI is the source for both sides of the campaigns."
Though some voters may appreciate the text reminders and calls to action, others may not. Receiving campaign material in the palm of your hand may feel unwarranted.
Mitchell says text messages, in addition to other campaign tools, may only impact a few points in an election; however, when several races are close, he says, these points could be what it takes to win.
Meanwhile, anyone looking to stop or filter these messages is able to do so in the following ways:
The FCC explains that political campaigns should honor opt-out requests if you reply "STOP"
Forward the text to 7726 or "SPAM"
Open the Settings app and tap Messages. Scroll down and select "Filter Unknown Senders." Swipe the toggle to turn this on. Messages from unknown senders will now be filtered separately.
Click the information button next to the phone number that called or messaged you. Scroll down and select "Block this Caller."
Contact the political campaign and ask to be removed from its list.