Registered voters in Missouri have likely received hundreds of texts, emails and letters in their mailbox from campaigns related to the 2024 election.
But one 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 purporting to contain information about the last time you and your neighbors voted in elections.
"We're sending this mailing to you and your neighbors to share who does and does not vote in an effort to promote election participation," the report card says. "While we have hidden the name and street number of your neighbors to protect their privacy, these are their true voting records.
"We will be reviewing these records after the election to determine whether or not you joined your neighbors in voting," the report card says.
While it doesn't share who you and your neighbors voted for, you might be wondering how they got your information and how they know the last time you 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 they know first and last names and date of birth.
But is voter information as easily accessible in Missouri? Is that how campaigns found your phone number and email? Here's what state law says.
How do campaigns get your contact information?
It's not as accessible in Missouri to get voter information as it is in Kansas, but campaigns and regular citizens can still receive that data. They just have to request it, according to a Missouri statute.
Anyone can do this by filing a records request and all requests are subject to fees, the statute says. All candidates and political committees are also entitled to receive the list in even-numbered years if they request the information.
The information people can receive from these requests includes:
Undercover law enforcement and people in witness protection programs can have their information excluded, the law says.
How can I opt out of political texts and calls?
So can you stop receiving political texts, calls and letters altogether?
When it comes to texts, just deleting the text thread isn't enough to guarantee you won't get a message from that campaign again. All campaigns should quit texting if you text back "STOP," according to the Federal Communications Commission.
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 robotexts, which can all be found online on the FCC's website. Robocalls must include the caller's identity at the beginning of the message. They also have to include the phone number stated in the message.
The commission says that robotexts sent using an autodialer must have had prior consent, while texts sent manually do not need consent from the owner of the number.
If you have a complaint about the robocalls or texts, you can report them to the commission by either calling 1-888-225-5322, reporting online at consumercomplaints.fcc.gov or submitting your complaint via mail.
It's trickier to get off mailing lists you receive letters in your mailbox. The Federal Trade Commission says you can choose what kind of mail you would like to receive from marketers by registering with the Direct Marketing Association. But the FTC and DMA say that it does not apply to mail from political organizations.