This was the year the robo call came into its own, as millions of voters around the country were bombarded with push polls and repetitive, misleading calls from the NRCC. But the tool, heralded by its practioners for its cheapness and effectiveness, may have simply angered too many voters.
In addition to calls for Congressional hearings on the use of robo calls, the robo call phenomenon has sparked state-level movements to pass legislation that would stifle the practice in future elections.
Today, the Missouri Attorney General announced that he’s urging the state legislature to pass a law that would protect voters on the state’s “No Call” list from automated political calls. In that, the state is emulating New Hampshire, where voters on the federal “Do Not Call” registry are protected for robo calls — a protection that saved them from the NRCC’s robo call onslaught after the state Attorney General stepped in to enforce the law.
Missouri wasn’t hit by the NRCC’s robo call harrassment campaign — although voters did get the nasty push poll from the Common Sense group — but things were bad enough there to prompt the AG to take immediate action.
This year’s election no doubt left many citizens envious of states like Indiana (where automated calls are completely banned) and New Hampshire, where voters were spared a glut of calls. So it’ll be interesting to see how many take action. Is there any movement in your state?