In the News

Americans Bombarded by 9.4 Billion Political Robocalls This Year

Oct 26, 2020 PRNewswire

NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Politics aside, one thing that nearly all Americans can agree on is that robocalls are the worst. So far this year, Americans have received an estimated 9.4 billion political robocalls, according to robocall blocking service Nomorobo.

“Political robocalls are out of control. 9.4 billion is a gigantic number,” says Aaron Foss, Nomorobo’s founder. “That means that every person in the U.S. received over 28 robocalls from politicians and their campaigns this year. And the election is still a full week away.”

Are Robocalls Spreading Misinformation and Suppressing Voter Turnout?

Absolutely. One such robocall fraudulently gave a laundry list of ways that the database of mail-in voters would be used: by police to find people with outstanding warrants, by credit card companies to collect debts, and by the CDC to give “mandatory” vaccines. Robocalls like this one are clear attempts to persuade voters and influence the election.

In early September, Nomorobo immediately blocked this attempt to influence the election and helped the Michigan Attorney General’s office to track down the responsible parties.

Swing States Are Receiving the Most Political Robocalls

While all states are being saturated with political robocalls, the battleground states and those that offer early voting have been getting special attention. California, Texas and Florida have garnered millions more political robocalls compared to other states.

Here is a chart of the top 15 states that have received the most political robocalls in 2020:

StateCalls Estimated Across US
CA1,167,911,000
TX732,285,250
FL612,226,750
NC583,297,750
NY531,345,000
PA503,354,250
OH481,121,500
MA334,598,000
AZ310,304,500
VA307,155,500
GA306,166,750
MI293,974,000
WI253,253,500
CO245,712,750
NJ234,963,000

“Even though many types of robocalls are illegal, political robocalls are exempt from most anti-robocall laws,” said Foss. “Even carrier-provided robocall blocking products won’t stop these types of calls – but this doesn’t mean that American citizens should have to put up with fraudulent or misleading information.”