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SALISBURY TAKES “DO NOT ROBO CALL” PLEDGE

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

WASHINGTON, D.C. April, 1st 2008 – Candidate for Congress Matt Salisbury (Idaho, First District) today announced his pledge not to conduct “robo” calls to voters in his district. Matt Salisbury is the third politician to take the “Do Not Robo Call” pledge since the non-profit Citizens for Civil Discourse launched the National Political Do Not Contact Registry last October at StopPoliticalCalls.org.

”Politicians are directly responsible for voter apathy,” Salisbury pointed out. “Candidates and Politicians hide behind special interest money to bombard the public with empty spin messages and manipulated truth. All in hopes that if the voter is harassed enough, the loudest voice will be elected if only to stop the shouting. I don’t appreciate my dinner or time with family being interrupted by a politician or special interest group that doesn’t care enough to have a real person make the call. Taking this pledge fits hand in hand with my campaign’s goal of reaching the voters personally and demonstrating that I am different and hold myself to a higher standard. Although the downside to this is my opponent may decide to join me, and that would stop a fantastic source of new supporters”.

“We are very pleased that Matt Salisbury has agreed not to robocall Idaho voters in the first district,” said Shaun Dakin, founder and CEO of StopPoliticalCalls.org. “He has taken the first decisive step in what I believe to be the crucial effort of giving voters back their privacy and peace and quiet in their own homes. The voters of Idaho are fortunate to have someone like Matt running for Congress.”

The National Political Do Not Contact Registry fills a void in the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) National Do Not Call (DNC) registry. Because the First Amendment protects political speech, political calls are specifically excluded from the Federal DNC. While Americans have registered nearly 150 million phone numbers with the DNC, Georgetown University research determined that 3 out of 4 voters do not know that political calls are exempt from the DNC. In fact, The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found that 81 percent of Iowa caucus voters received automated (or “robo”) calls during November 2007.

“I started the StopPoliticalCalls.org to give voters back their sanity during election season,” said Dakin. “Many voters consider their homes to be a sanctuary and consider calls – especially the automated ‘robo’ calls – from politicians and political groups to be invasive.”

At the voluntary National Political Do Not Contact Registry, our members report receiving 10 to 15 calls about robocalls each day during election season. Mothers are having their babies awakened from naps. Night shift workers who sleep during the day are not able to get the rest they need to be productive. Seniors live in fear of a health emergency occurring while their phone line is tied up with yet another robocall.

A member wrote to us recently: "My 85-year-old mother who had a stroke sometimes is at home alone, and when these phone calls come in, it confuses her and gets her upset when someone doesn't listen to her. She doesn't understand that it is an automated call."

About Matt Salisbury:

Salisbury has been active in Idaho politics for over a decade, serving in multiple volunteer and leadership roles within the GOP. Salisbury has been a small business owner, and successful corporate manager. He has a profound love of America and fresh perspective needed by Idaho’s 1st C.D. Matt served on Active duty with the 2nd Ranger Battalion and a combat tour in Iraq under Idaho’s 116th with the GSR's. Salisbury is a 4th Generation Canyon County resident, 3rd Generation Nampa High School graduate, 3rd Generation Northwest Nazarene graduate and is the 8th generation to serve in the military.

Salisbury received his BA in Political Science from NNU and finished his Masters work in International Diplomacy from Norwich University in Vermont. Matt and his wife Chandra have three children.

About the National Political Do Not Contact Registry – StopPoliticalCalls.org:

The National Political Do Not Contact Registry is a program of Citizens for Civil Discourse (CCD), non-partisan, non-profit organization (federal 501(c)(3) status pending) dedicated to elevating political discussion in the United States. CCD is based on the premise that the decline of civility in American political dialogue has diminished our nation’s capacity to address urgent problems. Founder and CEO Shaun Dakin believes that citizen action is required to restore decency, respect and common sense to public debate in this country.

CCD created the National Political Do Not Contact registry as a first step towards its goal by reducing unwanted political phone calls, particularly automated messages (“robo” calls). Because the U.S. Constitution protects political speech, CCD advocates addressing this issue not by enacting new legislation but by encouraging voters to take back control of the political conversation and make free speech a two-way exchange. Learn more at www.StopPoliticalCalls.org <http://www.stoppoliticalcalls.org/> .

Shaun Dakin, CEO and Founder, recently testified at the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration hearings on Robocalls. You can read his testimony and obtain a video at: http://rules.senate.gov/hearings/

Contact:

Brian Tooley (Salisbury – Congress ‘08), (208) 250-6449; brian@salisburyforcongress.org

Shaun Dakin (The National Political Do Not Contact Registry – StopPoliticalCalls.org),