I, along with many others, am being overwhelmed with unsolicited political text messages. These messages are disruptive, intrusive, and usually unwanted. Most importantly, these relentless political advertisements overstep personal boundaries.

Despite the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 which prohibits unsolicited calls to your cell phone (FCC, 2021), text messages have been exploited as a loophole, with political groups and candidates utilizing them as a form of campaign advertisement. According to Pew Research Center (2020), 70% of Americans feel bothered by unwanted calls and texts, yet the prevalence of these intrusive messages continues to rise.

Politicians and their campaigners regularly send out fundraising and advocacy texts to thousands of numbers, regardless of whether or not these individuals requested to receive such information. This is not only a violation of personal privacy, but it also creates an imbalanced political landscape where those with larger budgets can inundate voters' phones with promotional content.

It's time to put a stop to the flood of unsolicited political text messages. We urge Congress to update the laws and regulations to also extend to unwanted text messages as part of their rules against unsolicited communication. By doing so, we can maintain the sanctity of our personal space, ensuring our phones serve their rightful owners, not the whims of political campaigns.

Please sign this petition to urge for the update in communication laws and ban unsolicited political text messages.