Regulate 'robo-calls'

Many people find pre-recorded political phone messages annoying, and several states are doing something about it, reports Stateline.org.

The so-called "robo-calls" are enough to alienate voters when they receive several messages per day during an election season as well as personal calls from campaign volunteers.

The group Citizens for Civil Discourse advocates creating a political do-not-call list modeled after the National Do Not Call Registry. Group founder Shaun Dakin has created such a registry and seeks legislation to enforce it.

Reporting for Stateline.org, Vicki Ekstrom notes that more than a dozen states have banned or restricted political robo-calls in some fashion. Thus, Oregon has included political robo-calls on the state's do-not-call list. Indiana has a tough law nixing such calls, although a local judge ruled against it recently.

North Carolina is taking action against such political messages after many complaints emerged previous to its May 6 primary. A group's automated calls urged voters to fill out a voter-registration packet although the mail-in registration deadline had passed. The group, Women's Voices Women Vote, did not identify itself. Pennsylvania has passed a law banning automated political calls for those on the state's do-not-call registry.

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is sponsoring a bill with Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., to limit robo-calls to daytime hours and no more than two a day per phone number.

New York has experienced automated political messages. They can be very annoying. Sen. Feinstein said the calls interfere with privacy and may "turn people away from the political process itself."

She's right. They need to be limited.