Registered voters in Missouri have likely received hundreds of texts, emails and letters in their mailboxes from campaigns related to the 2024 election.
But a mailer from the Voter Participation Center has raised some additional questions. Voters in Missouri and states like Maryland and New Mexico have reported receiving voter report cards that contain information about the last time you and your neighbors voted in an election.
“We are sending this mailing to you and your neighbors to tell you who is and is not voting, in an effort to promote election participation,” the report says. “While we have hidden your neighbor’s name and house number to protect their privacy, this is their real voting information.
“We will review this data after the election to determine whether or not you voted with your neighbors,” the report says.
While it doesn’t say who you and your neighbors voted for, you might be wondering how they got your information and how they know when you last voted.
If you live in Kansas, voter information (address, party affiliation, etc.) is all public and accessible. Anyone can easily view someone’s voter information, as long as he or she knows their first name, last name and date of birth.
But is voter information just as easily accessible in Missouri? Is that how campaigns found your phone number and email address? Here’s what state law says.
How do campaigns obtain your contact information?
It is not as accessible to obtain voter information in Missouri as it is in Kansas, but campaigns and everyday citizens can still receive that data. They just have to ask for it, according to a Missouri statute.
Anyone can do this by submitting a records request and all requests are subject to fees, according to the law. All candidates and political committees are also entitled to receive the list in even years if they request information.
The information people may receive from these requests includes:
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Names
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Dates of birth
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Voter identification numbers
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Addresses
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Townships or departments
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terrain
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Voting history. This only includes the years you voted, not who you voted for or your party affiliation
Undercover law enforcement officers and people in witness protection programs can have their information suppressed, the law says.
How can I unsubscribe from political texts and calls?
So can you stop receiving political text messages, phone calls and letters altogether?
When it comes to text messages, deleting the text string is not enough to guarantee that you will no longer receive a message from that campaign. According to the Federal Communications Commission, all campaigns must stop texting if you text back “STOP.”
But if the numbers are still texting you, you can forward them to 7726 (or ‘SPAM’).
It’s also good to know the requirements for campaign robot texts, all of which can be found online at the FCC’s website. Robocalls must include the caller’s identity at the beginning of the message. They must also include the telephone number included in the message.
The commission says that robot texts sent through an autodialer require prior consent, while manually sent text messages do not require consent from the number owner.
If you have a complaint about the robocalls or text messages, you can report it to the commission by calling 1-888-225-5322, reporting online at consumercomplaints.fcc.gov or submitting your complaint by mail.
It’s harder to get off the mailing lists if you receive letters in your mailbox. The Federal Trade Commission says you can choose what type of email you want to receive from marketers by registering with the Direct Marketing Association. But the FTC and DMA say this does not apply to mail from political organizations.
Lindsay Smith of Wichita Eagle contributed to this report.
