‘Do Not Mail’ List: Political Campaign Bulk Mail Opt-Out Registry?
How much would it affect your local election strategy if your state let residents “opt-out” of receiving political campaign bulk mail from candidates?
That’s just what one city councilwoman in Spokane, Washington would like to see. According to this article in the Spokesman-Review, Councilwoman Amber Waldref sponsored a nonbinding resolution asking the state Legislature to create a registry that would allow people to decline all bulk mail from the U.S. Post Office . . . including political candidate mailers.
The Spokane City Council overwhelmingly defeated the ‘do not mail’ registry proposal, and several employees from the Spokane Post Office (and owners of local print shops) showed up to voice their opposition to the resolution. That means that a bulk mail opt-out list won’t be coming to Washington State anytime soon . . . but the idea has been gaining traction in other parts of the country.
So, what do you think? As a political campaign candidate, consultant or manager, how would your election strategies change if a large segment of your targeted voters were allowed to ‘opt-out’ of receiving bulk campaign mailers?
You’ve heard us say this on Killer Campaigning many times: a well-planned targeted direct mail campaign is one of the most effective things that a political candidate can do to win votes in a local election. I doubt that a ‘do not mail’ list will ever become reality in any of the 50 states, but it would be a huge game-changer for political parties and candidates if it ever did.
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tchia on July 8th, 2011
As a registered voter (no party affiliation) in San Francisco who actually takes the time to read through my voter information packet and read up on issues, I strongly support being able to opt out of campaign related mailers and materials.
I realize that it is common for nonprofit organizations and political campaigns to rent lists from other groups and it is not possible to opt out of these rented lists. I also know, after confirming with the Department of Elections in California that they “may release confidential voter information to the following individuals or organizations: any candidate for federal, state, or local office; any committee for or against any initiative or referendum measure for which legal publication is made; for election, scholarly, journalistic, political, or governmental purposes”.
However, these types of mailings do nothing to change my vote or opinions related to candidates, ballot measures or propositions. Reduce your print and postage costs and stop sending out these mailers and fliers. They do nothing except end up as trash.
Regards,
Tracy