Revolution Messaging Calls for Investigation into Voter Suppression through Text Messages

With Rise in New Political Technology this Election, Text Message Spam Reported in Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Progressive political consulting firm, Revolution Messaging, called on several state attorneys general today to investigate the improper use of mobile technology by Republicans in the midterm elections. The firm says inappropriate text messages to Democratic and undecided voters were used in the eleventh hour to intentionally confuse and suppress voter turnout.

Following complaints about text message spamming in several key states, they're challenging Attorneys General John Suthers, R-Colo., Beau Biden, D-Del., Bill McCollum, R-Fla., Lisa Madigan, D-Ill., Lori Swanson, D-Minn., Chris Koster, D-Mo., Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., Roy Cooper, D-N.C., and Tom Corbett, R-Pa., and Ken Cuccinelli, R-Va. as well as Attorneys General-Elect Eric Schneiderman, D-N.Y., and Pam Bondi, R-Fla., to look into abuses.

Revolution Messaging founder Scott Goodstein, who helped President Obama use text messaging to remind voters to vote in 2008, said that every election brings new ways to get out the vote, but it also brings rise to new ways to suppress voters too.

"Mobile technology is a new frontier for most political campaigns," said Goodstein. "We must be vigilant about making sure it isn't abused, throwing a wrench into our democratic process. We saw some of these abuses in the 2008 elections, but nothing like what we saw this year. If we don't nip it in the bud, imagine what could happen in the 2012 elections."

Political attorney Joe Sandler, who serves as counsel to Revolution Messaging, said text message abuses from the 2010 elections are well documented in Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

"We know this happened in at least ten states and it may've occurred in more," said Sandler. "If folks received a text message on their cell phone from a group that had no permission to call their cell, a complaint can be filed with their state's Attorney General who can investigate and take legal action against the spammers."

Goodstein says anyone who got these types of messages can get in touch with his or her Attorney General and file a complaint by calling 866-529-7620, a hotline setup by Revolution Messaging.

The federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act makes it illegal for anyone to autocall a cell phone without the recipient's expressed prior consent. The Mobile Marketing Association, which represents all the players in the mobile technology space, and the CTIA-The Wireless Association, which represents the wireless communications industry, also have established guidelines requiring explicit opt-ins for any type of SMS message.

Strict rules governing the use of text messaging were violated by many campaigns supporting Republican candidates. Right-wing groups in New York were caught buying mobile phone number lists and broadcasting messages last year to cell phones not opted-in to receive messages from Jim Tedisco, R-N.Y. The 2010 elections gave rise to many more examples of these types of abuses.

TEXT MESSAGE ABUSE

BACKGROUND

--COLORADO: "Received a text on my WORK cell phone asking me to call my representative (Betsy Markey) and blame her for the economy." [http://www.complaintnow.com/:-Unsolicited-Text-Message/complaint/complaints/message/show/0/0/152757/0]

--DELAWARE: "It's an outrage … It's ridiculous. I am a registered Democrat and I feel that my privacy has been violated." [http://blogs.delawareonline.com/dialoguedelaware/2010/10/30/conservative-pac-names-carney-in-text-attack/]

--FLORIDA: Grayson for Congress received several calls from people who received that text message and who had not opted-in to receive messages from Americans in Contact PAC (AICPAC). "[email protected] / Alert / Your Congressman Alan Grayson passed Obamacare and failed to create jobs. Tell him your thoughts 407-894-1448"

--ILLINOIS: Americans in Contact PAC (AICPAC) sends illegal unsolicited text messages to Illinois voters. [http://thedailybackground.com/2010/11/02/aipac-sends-illegal-unsolicited-text-messages-to-illinois-voters]

--MISSOURI: "I don't have a text plan for my cell phone. I very rarely text anyone. I have to pay for this @#$%&.... And I didn't sign up for it either." [http://showmeprogress.com/diary/5234/a-text-message-from-roy-blunt-rlobbyists]

--NEW YORK: Niskayuna, N.Y. resident Clara Mehserle says she received a text message on her cell phone that said, "Jim Tedisco needs your vote! Polls open until 9 p.m. YOUR VOTE MATTERS. Paid for by Tedisco for Congress." One large problem was that Mehserle doesn't live in the 20th Congressional district. She's a registered Democrat. And she thinks she'll have to pay for the message because it came from a phone system outside her Verizon network.

[http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/13003/text-message-to-wrong-district/]

--NORTH CAROLINA: Americans in Contact PAC (AICPAC) sent unsolicited text messages to voters in North Carolina's 11th and 8th Congressional District, according to sources in Buncombe County and the North Carolina Democratic Party. The text contains "negative messages" and gives a return number that goes to Democratic campaign offices. This may be a violation of campaign regulations in that the message does not offer text recipients accurate return contact information. [http://www.americanindependent.com/153498/nc-text-messages-from-americans-in-contact-pac-flood-shuler-kissell-districts]

--PENNSYLVANIA: Americans in Contact PAC (AICPAC) was linked in the past to push polling and potentially illegal robocalls. Now, they are sending unsolicited text messages to voters in the 6th District trying to scare voters away from Manan Trivedi, D-Pa. [http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2010/10/24/20349/341]

--VIRGINIA: "Both myself and my husband received unwanted, unsolicited text messages from this group today supporting Rick Boucher's opponent." [http://www.complaintnow.com/:-Unsolicited-Text/complaint/complaints/message/show/0/0/152707/0]

--MINNESOTA: "You don't expect to get political calls on your cell phone," said Kline, whose cell phone plan doesn't include unlimited texting. "I really didn't think it was legal to send unsolicited text messages." [http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/10/28/political-text-messages/]

SOURCE Revolution Messaging