If your phone has been buzzing with political texts lately, you’re not alone. As Election Day approaches, campaigns and political groups are using text messages to reach voters.
The good news: There are steps you can take to reduce the number of messages you receive.
Here’s what Texans should know about stopping unwanted political texts.
Yes, if the message is from a sender you recognize and appears to be a legitimate campaign or organization.
The Federal Communications Commission says replying with words such as “STOP,” “cancel” or “unsubscribe” is a reasonable way for consumers to revoke consent to receive text messages.
If the sender provides specific instructions for opting out, follow those instructions.
Keep in mind that opting out of one campaign’s messages won’t necessarily stop texts from other campaigns or political organizations. You may need to unsubscribe from each sender separately.
Don’t reply or click on links in an unexpected message if you’re not sure who sent it.
Political texts can look similar to other spam or scam messages, and a message that claims to be from a candidate or organization isn’t automatically legitimate.
The Federal Trade Commission recommends using your phone’s “report junk” or “report spam” feature for unwanted messages.
You can also forward unwanted texts to 7726 (SPAM). The FTC says doing so can help wireless providers identify and block similar messages.
Yes. You can block individual numbers through your phone’s messaging app.
The exact steps depend on whether you’re using an iPhone or Android device, but most phones allow you to block a sender directly from the conversation or the sender’s contact information.
Some wireless providers also offer tools to filter or block unwanted calls and texts. Blocking one number, however, won’t necessarily stop political messages from other numbers.
Not necessarily.
The National Do Not Call Registry is primarily intended to limit unwanted sales calls. The FTC says political calls are among the types of calls that can still be made to numbers on the registry.
So registering your phone number with the Do Not Call Registry isn’t a reliable way to stop political calls or texts.
Texas has specific disclosure requirements for certain political advertising sent through mass text-message campaigns.
A law that took effect Sept. 1, 2025, added paid mass text-message campaigns to the state’s definition of political advertising. Under the law, a “mass text message campaign” generally involves sending messages to multiple people in support of or opposition to a candidate, political party, public official or measure while spending more than the basic costs of hardware, messaging software and bandwidth.
The law also increased the maximum civil penalty for violating certain political advertising disclosure requirements from $4,000 to $10,000. Each individual text message distributed as part of a mass text campaign can constitute a separate violation.
That doesn’t mean every political text is illegal or that Texas law gives consumers a universal opt-out from campaign messages.
If you’re receiving political messages from multiple senders, there isn’t one button that will necessarily stop all of them.
Instead:
The FCC accepts complaints about unwanted texts, although it says filing a complaint does not resolve an individual complaint. The information is used to help with enforcement and policy decisions.
For Texans tired of the campaign messages, the most practical approach is to opt out of individual senders and use your phone’s blocking and spam-reporting tools as new messages arrive.
