Effort would put limits on political calls

The national do-not-call registry does not put restrictions on political calls.

SCRIPPS HOWARD

Many people who register with do-not-call lists to block telemarketing calls are surprised to learn that charities, survey takers and politicians can continue to disturb them.

Those groups, and several others, won exemptions under state and federal laws because they technically aren’t calling to sell anything. In the case of politicians, rule makers also determined that banning those calls would violate rights of free speech.

But relief may be on the way.

At least one effort is under way aimed at curbing political calls, which can be particularly irksome at election time when research has shown that households can get 10 or more phone calls a day.

Of the 146 million phone numbers on the national do-not-call registry, “My hypothesis is that the vast majority would also like politicians to be included,” said Shaun Dakin, founder of Citizens for Civil Discourse, a nonprofit group preparing to launch a political do-not-call registry in September.

“Most people are pretty angry when they find out politicians can call at will,” Dakin said.

Complying with the registry would be voluntary, of course. But Dakin believes that if he can get enough people to sign up, most politicians would honor the list, not wanting to anger voters by continuing to pester them.

Right now, people can visit the group’s Web site, www.stoppoliticalrobocalls.org, to get on a pre-launch list to be contacted when the registry goes live.

Since Dakin began publicizing the registry about three weeks ago, about 200 people have signed on, he said.

He expects interest will pick up after Labor Day when political parties start gearing up for the presidential primaries and calls for support start invading the dinner hour.

Dakin, 40, whose wife’s salary as a doctor allowed him to quit his job as a product manager at the financial Web site Motley Fool in January to work on the effort full time, plans to focus initially on getting the lists to candidates in federal elections.

Instead of requesting that all political calls stop, registrants will be able to specify how and when they want to be contacted, such as only during certain hours or only by e-mail.