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FAQs

I do not want any emails sent to me from any candidates. If I sign up, how do I stop this from happening?

To stop emails from candidates your best option is to sign up for the $9.95 a year membership.  With this option you can sign up for more than one phone number, more than one email and your mailing address.
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Is there a way to confirm that our phone number is in fact included in your database after registering and activating my account?

When you register for the National Political Do Not Contact Registry you create a user id and password.   This allows you to access your account at anytime to ensure that your contact information is up to date and that your information is included in the registry.

So, to check that your contact information is included all you need to do is log in to StopPoliticalCalls.org with your user id and password and check your profile information to make sure that your information is accurate.
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I want to register my husband. He lives here with me, and is a voter. However he does not use the computer, but we share the the same phone number. Can I register him?

Thanks for this question. 

Yes you can.

What others have done is register for their family members that do not have access to a computer by creating separate user IDs and passwords.

Thanks again for your interest in the Registry.

Shaun Dakin
CEO and Founder
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How can people without internet access sign up for this service?

We are a non-profit organization with limited funds. 

Unfortunately, at this time, we do not have a phone number for those voters that do not have access to the internet.  We are looking into that option.

Our suggestions, however, are:

1. Find a public space (library for example) where there is internet access available
2. Have a family member with access register for the voter without access to the internet

Thanks again for  your interest in the Registry.
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Will my password be secure?

Yes, the website is highly secure, using state-of-the-art data encryption with servers located in a secure environment that is monitored 24/7.  Only screened and approved NPDNC employees are allowed access to the system.
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What is a robo call?

A robo call is an automated phone call.  You can learn more at the following Wikipedia entry.   back to top

What will CCD do with the information that I provide when I register?

Like the Federal Do Not Call Registry, Citizens for Civil Discourse, will never sell or give away your information to companies or commercial organizations for marketing purposes.

Like the Federal Do Not Call Registry, CCD will, give your contact information to political parties and candidates for a fee with the express and only purpose of using the information in the manner that you have specified.  

Politicians, political parties and their representatives will be required by contract to use your information in a very specific manner and for a specific purpose.

CCD will also use the latest security and privacy measures to ensure that these parties do not abuse the data that we provide to them.

If you would like to see our Privacy Statement, please go here.
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What is an example of how a political party or candidate could use my registered information?

If, for example, you registered the following information on the National Political Do Not Contact Registry:

• Name
• Address
• Phone Number(s)
• Email Address(s)
• How you would like to be contacted:  Example, email only
• Political affiliation:  Example, Democrat
• Candidates interested in hearing from:  Example:  Hillary, Obama, and Edwards
• Issues you want to hear about:  Example:  Iraq, education, energy, economy

A candidate would then take this data and scrub their voter database in order to take the following actions:

• Not call or send mail to you
• Send only email
• Only Hillary, Obama and Edwards would be allowed to contact you
  
• On issues that you care about:  Iraq, education, energy, economy

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Why do you charge a fee for the Charter Founder Membership?

Citizens for Civil Discourse is a non partisan non profit 501(c)(3) corporation (application submitted to the IRS).

Like any organization, CCD needs to cover operating expenses to run and manage the National Political Do Not Call Registry.  The registry requires extensive technology operations as well as the human talent to be managed in a secure and scalable environment.

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What will Citizens for Civil Discourse do with any funds that it receives?

Citizens for Civil Discourse is a non profit 501(c)(3) corporation that needs to cover operating expenses to run and manage the National Political Do Not Call Registry.  The registry requires extensive expenses associated with technology operations to be managed in a secure and scalable environment as well as human talent

All excess revenue will be invested in research and in foundations that promote the mission of civil political discourse.

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Does Citizens for Civil Discourse represent any political party or have any political affiliation?

No.

Citizens for Civil Discourse is a non partisan non profit organization that is made up of US  citizens and voters from all political persuasions.


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Who is leading Citizens for Civil Discourse?

Citizens for Civil Discourse is currently led by CEO and Founder, Shaun Dakin.  Mr. Dakin believes that it is time for all of us to start listening to each other rather than shouting at each other.   

A small step in that direction is the creation of a National Political Do Not Contact Registry where the voter, not the politician, can control the discussion about the issues that they care most about.

To learn more about the Board of Directors and Advisors, please go here.

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How can I find out more information?

Please feel free to contact us at info (at) citizensforcivildiscourse.org for more information.
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Is Citizens for Civil Discourse a Non Profit Corporation 501 (c)(3)?

CCD has applied for non profit status with the IRS to be a 501(c)(3) corporation.   At this time non profit status has NOT be granted to CCD but the IRS has acknowledged receipt of  our  application and is in the process of reviewing it.
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What is your Privacy Policy?

Citizens for Civil Discourse has an clear Privacy Policy.  You can read more about it here.
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How will this work?

Once you register your phone number we will:

1. Contact Politicians and delivery all of your contact information to ask that they stop calling you.
2. Your contact information will then be suppressed in that Politicians voter contact database and you should not receive calls from that particular politician.

The result should be a reduction of political phone calls to the phone number(s) that you registered on the Political Do Not Contact Registry.
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How Do You Fund The Registry?

The National Political Do Not Contact Registry receives funding through the following:

• Charter Founder Membership fees ($9.95)
  
• Donations
• Campaign fees to purchase the Registry the same way that companies purchase the Federal Do Not Call Registry
• Sponsorships
• Foundation support
  

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How Soon Can I Expect Phone Calls To Stop?

Unlike the Federal Do Not Call Registry, which is a Federal regulation that commercial organizations must participate, the National Political Do Not Contact Registry (NPDNC) is a citizen driven non-partisan non-profit that depends on the will of the people to join together to demand that politicians, political parties, and political consultants stop calling us at home.

As a result, the NPDNC Registry must first get enough voters to register their phone numbers so that the politicians pay attention before politicians will comply with our demand that they stop calling us at home during dinner.

The only things that politicians pay attention to are votes and money.   The NPDNC Registry will not have money to offer, but we will have votes (voters) and when we band together we will have the power to make them stop calling.
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I did not receive my activation email, what can I do?

To make sure that you are who you say you are you must Activate your account before your membership will be considered active.

Please make sure that you check your email and click on the link to Activate your account.

NOTE!:  Internet service providers such as AOL, Earthlink, and many others have email spam filters that may block email from the Registry.

Please take a moment to make sure that your email filters allow email from:

info@citizensforcivildiscourse.org

This is important.  If you do not see an ACTIVATION email from the Registry very quickly after your initial registration, please check to see that the ACTIVATION email was not held or deleted by your spam filter(s).

Also, please add info@citizensforcivildiscourse.org to your address book.
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Why Does Every Member Of A Household Need an Individual Membership?

When candidates create a voter contact strategy each individual voter in a household is considered a distinct and unique voter.

Voter databases have become so sophisticated that candidates and their consultants can determine if a Wife is a Democrat, the Husband is a Republican, the Son is an Independent and the Daughter hasn't voted in the past two elections.

As a result, when candidates develop campaign voter contact strategies, particularly with phone calls, they can program the system to call each individual voter at a residence and will ensure that a specific voter is contacted at a specific phone number.

For example:  The computer screen for a volunteer could say something along the lines of:

Contact 1:  Jane Smith
Phone number:   999-555-1212
Suggested Script:  Hi, Jane Smith, we are calling you to talk about Candidate Smith in the upcoming congressional election.   Will you vote for her?
Resolution:  Yes, No, Hung Up, No answer, Voice Mail

Contact 2:  Dan Smith
Phone number:   999-555-1212
Suggested Script:  Hi, Dan Smith, we are calling you to talk about Candidate Smith in the upcoming congressional election.   Will you vote for her?
Resolution:  Yes, No, Hung Up, No answer, Voice Mail

Each contact is considered separate and unique, EVEN THOUGH THIS COUPLE HAS THE SAME PHONE NUMBER AND LIVES AT THE SAME ADDRESS.



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What Can I Do To Get Candidates In My District To Stop Calling?

There are several things YOU can do to make this effort a success for all of us.

1. First, sign up for the National Political Do Not Contact Registry (NPDNC)
2. Call your candidates Headquarters and demand that they take the "do not contact" pledge.
3. Write to your local paper, call into your local radio show and tell them about the NPDNC and demand that your local candidates take the "do not contact" pledge.
4. Tell your friends and family about the NPDNC and ask that they sign up as well.

Thanks very much for your help!

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Are telephone town hall meetings considered "robo calls"?

No.

While tele-town hall meetings are initiated, typically, by computers they are not part of campaign communications.  They are typically part of taxpayer financed constituent communications and are regulated by the Franking Commission.

Tele-town hall meetings are part of a representative's constituent communication program.   They are a good tool for Members to stay in touch with their constituents in a time effective way.

Most importantly, they allow for two way communications between the member and the voter.  This is the essence of Democracy.

Robo calls do not allow for any discussion.

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Why Do You Have Ads On StopPoliticalCalls.org?

To help cover our operating costs.

The National Political Do Not Contact Registry is a non profit organization.   Non profit, however, does not mean that we do not have operating expenses.

Building this organization requires that we spend resources on:

• Computers
• Servers
• Software
• Public Relations
• Accounting
• Insurance and,
• A host of other typical business expenses

If you are interested in donating to the National Political Do Not Contact Registry, please click on the donate button.
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Why Do Robo Call Companies Advertise On Your Website?

The wonder of Google, that is why.  Google reads the content of a website and then, automatically, serves ads on the site based on the content that it "reads".   You can learn more from Google here.

Guess what?

This is a good thing.

The more people click on these ads the more the robo call companies have to pay Google and, this is the good part, the more Google pays The National Political Do Not Contact Registry (NPDNC).

Neat.

How you can help:

1. Go to the homepage or our blog
2. Click on the robo call ads that you see that look interesting to you
   
3. Don't do it too much.   There is something called "click fraud" and we do not want that to occur, at all.
4. The NPDNC Registry gets paid.
   

Thanks.
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Don't see your question answered here? Ask us!

Why Must I Register To Remove My Number From Political Phone Lists?

It is critical that we prevent fraud.   Since we are a non-profit and the registry does not have the force of law, it is critical that our database be secure, accurate and free from manipulation.   To prevent fraud and abuse we require voters to validate that they are who they say they are by registering and activating your account.   In addition, by registering and becoming a member you can return at anytime to update your contact information if you move.

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