States try to pull plug on 'robo-calls'

States try to pull plug on 'robo-calls'
Millions of automated political pitches tie up Americans' phones
By Dennis Cauchon
USA TODAY
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States are trying to disconnect computer-generated political calls that are flooding the nation's households at election time.

More than 5 million automated "robo-calls" have been made to potential voters in early primary states. The number of robo-calls could run into the hundreds of millions this election year as the political parties battle for control of the White House, Congress and state governments.

"What's making people mad is the volume of calls," says Jerry Dorchuck of Political Marketing International, which provides automated calling services to candidates. "People can get 25 automated calls on the day before an election."

Nineteen states restrict political robo-calls. At least five more will consider limits this year.

The laws range from banning automated calls to limiting times when they occur. Some states require calls to identify who's paying for the call. Other states ban political calls to people on the National Do Not Call Registry for commercial telemarketers. Federal law doesn't restrict calls from political, religious or non-profit groups.

Political candidates and special interest groups have turned to robo-calls because they are fast and cheap. A robo-call costs 2 to 4 cents per household compared with about 50 cents for direct mail.

"You can do 100,000 phone calls in an hour for $2,000," says Shaun Dakin, founder of Citizens for Civil Discourse, a non-partisan group critical of robo-calls. "It's efficient and irresistible."

Before the Iowa caucuses Jan. 3, 80% of voters received robo-calls, the Pew Research Center found.

Few states have enforced their robo-call laws, partly out of fear that they violate free speech protections.

The laws have been upheld in state courts in Indiana and North Dakota but haven't been tested in federal court.

Political consultants oppose the limits. "One price we pay for living in a free and democratic society is having to listen to messages you may not agree with," says Wayne Johnson, president of the American Association of Political Consultants and a Republican consultant from Sacramento.

Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter, a Republican, says the laws are constitutional. He's taken violators to court and won. "People want peace and quiet, not the incessant intrusion of political phone calls," he says.

There's little research showing whether robo-calls are effective. Mark Hampton, owner of Robodial.org, a Democratic firm, says, "I highly doubt that robo-calls saying 'vote for me on election day' are useful at all."