How to get off the political lists
The election ends tomorrow. The emails, texts, and calls don't have to keep going, whichever side they come from. Here's how to get off the lists, sender by sender.
If you want to keep hearing from me, plug in your name and email address and I'll add you to my list for updates.
Unless it's marked unlisted, the phone number on your voter registration goes into public data reports. Boulder County residents have to change that on paper, because it can't be done online:
- Download the county's Phone Number Listing Change form (PDF) and print it.
- Fill in every field, mark the line that says to make your number “unlisted,” and sign it by hand. A typed signature won't be accepted.
- Scan it and email it to the County Clerk's office at both [email protected] and [email protected]. The county's website and the 2021 form list different addresses, so send it to both to be sure.
The form also accepts a clear photo, or you can return it by mail or in person at 1750 33rd St., Suite 200, Boulder, CO 80301. Two things to know: the signature becomes your signature of record, used to check future mail ballots, and an unlisted number means you can't sign ballot measure petitions through Boulder Direct Online.
I've spent the last few months asking for your attention, so I'm well aware of how much of it politics takes. Campaigns have every right to contact willing supporters, and most of them are following the rules. But plenty of people land on these lists without meaning to: you donate once and hear from twenty groups, or you register to vote and the texts start.
Three things hold true across almost every sender below. Replying STOP is the fastest fix for texts, but it usually covers only that one sender. The unsubscribe link in an email is often quicker than any form. And opting out of one group does nothing about the groups that already have your data. Political email also isn't bound by the unsubscribe rules that commercial email is, so a sender may not honor a request.
Where a sender publishes an address, I've included a pre-written opt-out email. Fill in the brackets before you send it. Links and procedures change, so if one has moved, check the original guide.
Democratic and progressive
NGP VAN / Bonterra
The main database behind Democratic campaigns, now owned by Bonterra. It's the one place on this side where a single form reaches thousands of senders.
✉ Draft an opt-out email to [email protected]- Email: Fill out the global unsubscribe form, which blocks your address across NGP VAN customers. It takes several days; the link at the bottom of any of their emails works right away. To have your record deleted rather than just blocked, ask NGP VAN support. Campaigns that already exported your data aren't covered.
- Text: Reply STOP, separately for each number.
ActBlue
The Democratic small-dollar donation platform. Give through it and the recipient gets your contact information.
✉ Draft an opt-out email to [email protected]- Email: The unsubscribe page stops ActBlue's own reminders, not campaign emails, and you'll still get receipts. To stop your data going to future recipients, use the contact form. Groups that already have your data need their own opt-outs.
- Text: Reply STOP.
Democratic National Committee
The national party. Its list is separate from state parties and individual campaigns, which may each need their own opt-out.
✉ Draft an opt-out email to [email protected]- Email: Use the DNC unsubscribe form or the link at the bottom of any DNC email.
- Text: Reply STOP.
- Phone: For individual campaigns, ask the caller to take you off their list. A hack for broader impact is to tell the caller they have the wrong number, which can have upstream impacts to the data pool. Obviously don't give the caller your name when you do this.
- Mail: Write to 430 S. Capitol St. SE, Washington, DC 20003, and ask to come off all mailing lists.
DCCC
House Democrats' campaign committee.
✉ Draft an opt-out email to [email protected]- Email: Use the unsubscribe page or the link in any DCCC email. If your browser warns you about the page, email [email protected] instead.
- Text: Reply STOP.
- Phone: For individual campaigns, ask the caller to take you off their list. A hack for broader impact is to tell the caller they have the wrong number, which can have upstream impacts to the data pool. Obviously don't give the caller your name when you do this.
DSCC
Senate Democrats' campaign committee.
✉ Draft an opt-out email to [email protected]- Email: Use the unsubscribe page or the link in any DSCC email. If the page is down, email [email protected] or call (202) 224-2447.
- Text: Reply STOP.
- Phone: For individual campaigns, ask the caller to take you off their list. A hack for broader impact is to tell the caller they have the wrong number, which can have upstream impacts to the data pool. Obviously don't give the caller your name when you do this.
MoveOn
A progressive advocacy group with one page covering every channel.
✉ Draft an opt-out email to [email protected]- Email: The opt-out preferences page handles email, text, phone, and mail in one place, though MoveOn says changes can take several weeks. To cut back rather than stop, update your subscriptions.
- Text: Reply STOP, then use the preferences page to leave every channel.
- Phone: Use the preferences page or call (833) 781-5300.
- Mail: Use the preferences page.
Republican and conservative
WinRed
The Republican donation platform. There's no global list: each campaign runs its own, and WinRed says it can't remove you from one. This is the biggest difference between the two sides.
✉ Draft an opt-out email to [email protected]- Email: Click unsubscribe on every sender, one at a time. WinRed's help article has more detail.
- Text: Reply STOP to every number or short code. With a lot of senders, this can take weeks to clear.
Republican National Committee
The national party, with its own contact database.
✉ Draft an opt-out email to [email protected]- Email: Use the subscription center, which asks for your email, name, and zip code, or the link in any RNC email.
- Text: Reply STOP, or text STOP to 80810.
- Phone: For individual campaigns, ask the caller to take you off their list, or email [email protected]. A hack for broader impact is to tell the caller they have the wrong number, which can have upstream impacts to the data pool. Obviously don't give the caller your name when you do this.
- Mail: Write to 310 First Street SE, Washington, DC 20003.
NRCC
House Republicans' campaign committee. It has no web form.
✉ Draft an opt-out email to [email protected]- Email: The link at the bottom of any NRCC email is the most reliable route. You can also email [email protected] or call (888) 606-1023.
- Text: Reply STOP.
- Phone: For individual campaigns, ask the caller to take you off their list. A hack for broader impact is to tell the caller they have the wrong number, which can have upstream impacts to the data pool. Obviously don't give the caller your name when you do this.
NRSC
Senate Republicans' campaign committee.
✉ Draft an opt-out email to [email protected]- Email: Use the permanent unsubscribe page, which can take time to process. To get fewer rather than none, there's a frequency page.
- Text: Reply STOP. Common short codes are 55404 and 87197.
- Phone: For individual campaigns, ask the caller to take you off their list. A hack for broader impact is to tell the caller they have the wrong number, which can have upstream impacts to the data pool. Obviously don't give the caller your name when you do this.
Trump / Save America PAC
Several Trump-affiliated committees send through WinRed, so each keeps its own list and the same one-at-a-time rule applies.
✉ Draft an opt-out email to [email protected]- Email: Unsubscribe from each sender. People report emails continuing anyway; if so, mark them as spam so your email filter learns. If you never gave them your information, you can file an FCC complaint.
- Text: Reply STOP to each number.
Heritage Foundation
A conservative think tank that sends policy and fundraising mail.
✉ Draft an opt-out email to [email protected]- Email: The unsubscribe page wants your name, email, mailing address, and a reason. If you'd rather not share your address, use [email protected] or (800) 546-2843.
- Mail: The same page covers paper mail, or call that number, or write to 214 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002.
Both parties and everyone else
CallHub
A calling and texting tool used by both parties.
- Text: Reply STOP. It only applies to that campaign, so you may need to repeat it.
- Phone: For individual campaigns, ask the caller to take you off their list. A hack for broader impact is to tell the caller they have the wrong number, which can have upstream impacts to the data pool. Obviously don't give the caller your name when you do this. Each campaign keeps its own do-not-call list.
Texts from an unknown sender
For the ones with no name attached.
- Text: Reply STOP (QUIT, END, CANCEL, and UNSUBSCRIBE also work). Senders using autodialers have to honor it within 10 business days under the TCPA. The Do Not Call Registry doesn't apply to political calls, and manually dialed calls follow different rules. If texts keep coming and you never gave out your number, file an FCC complaint.
Data brokers and voter files
If you hear from groups you've never touched, your data probably came from a broker or your public voter record. Your Secretary of State's website lists any privacy options for your voter record.
- Email: DeleteMe (about $129 a year) handles opt-outs at 750+ broker sites, which beats doing it by hand. The Network Advertising Initiative opt-out covers targeted digital ads.
- Mail: DMAchoice costs $6 for 10 years and cuts commercial junk mail, but it doesn't cover political mail, which is exempt.
This is the last entry I'll post before the election. Thanks for reading these, and enjoy the quiet.
This entry is a clone of the instructions at Enough.vote's Platform Guide, shortened and put in my own words. All of the credit for the research belongs to that team. I had nothing to do with building it, and they have nothing to do with my campaign.
Sources
- Enough.vote: Platform Guide (the source of these instructions)
- Enough.vote: About
This is general information, not legal advice. Opt-out procedures change, and no one can guarantee a sender will honor a request.