WYANDOTTE, Mich. (WXYZ) — It doesn't matter where you are in Michigan, political campaigns are using phone records to make sure their message gets to voters.
Voters in Wyndotte on Tuesday say they have been getting those messages whether they want to or not.
"I don't know how they got my name, but I was like I don't even know what's going on here," Megan Henrick said after getting a text from someone claiming to be from California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office.
Some people told 7 News Detroit they don't mind the influx.
"It doesn't bother me too much," Marie Wyss said. "They gotta get their name out there."
Others said they can't stand them.
"I just send 'stop' and I get another one the next day," Michael Hern said.
Michigan voter Charlie Lafollette says he often receives messages from out of state.
"It's awful. I get a bunch from New Mexico. I don't live in New Mexico," Lafollette said.
Jefferey Bernstein, a political science professor at Eastern Michigan University, says the information is easily accessible.
"There is so much information about you in the public domain that people can grab," Bernstein said.
He added that social media data and modern technology has helped spread and share the information.
"They can know that people who click in this way are most likely to vote Democrat, but people who click on those links are most likely to vote Republican. And that's where the mobilization enters into it," Bernstein said.
He says the repeat messages are a typical example of a marketing principle: repetition and reminders.
"There's power in repetition and I think that's why a lot of times, campaigns are just going to keep repeating the message," Berstein said.
He says you can opt-out and get on no-call lists, but as long as your information continues to be shared, it's difficult to completely cut off access. To learn more about stopping unwanted robocalls or texts, visit the Federal Communications Commission's website.
