John Edwards - National Political "Do Not Contact" Pledge

Since I’m neither a trial lawyer nor a member of a publc employee union, I never hear from Edwards’ campaign. However, I get calls from Fred Thompson’s campaign daily, and I wish they would stop. If Edwards will make this pledge, I’ll visit his website and try to understand how he intends to tax the US to prosperity, since his action might shame Thompson into doing the same.

ps – since the NPDNC is non-partisan, I’d open this campaign to both parties.

The National Political Do Not Contact Registry (NPDNC) will be asking politicians and political parties to stop calling voters at home, particularly with automated (robo) calls.

Release below:

NEW FREE REGISTRY LETS VOTERS TELL POLITICIANS: “STOP CALLING ME AT HOME!”

Website Gives Voters Back Lost Privacy And Peace of Mind

Voters can now take action to stop unwanted political calls by registering for free at, NPDNC’s website, a website run by the National Political Do Not Contact Registry (NPDNC). The non-partisan, non-profit organization is a citizen-driven movement designed to stop politicians from calling voters at home, particularly with automated (or robo) calls.

To sign up for the NPDNC, citizens can simply visit the website NPDNC and register their contact information for free. The organization will notify political campaigns of the registrant’s preferences’, who know they will risk losing votes if they ignore the voters’ demands.

The NPDNC Registry fills a void in the federal do not call list (DNC). Because the First Amendment protects political speech, political calls are specifically excluded from the DNC legislation. While Americans have registered nearly 150 million phone numbers with the DNC, Georgetown University research determined that 75% of voters do not know that political calls are exempt.

This loophole has become a national problem. According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, “64% of American voters received recorded messages in the final weeks of the 2006 election.” Approximately 40% received between three and nine automated phone calls during the campaign.

Market research conducted during the summer of 2007 overwhelmingly confirms that U.S. voters want to stop candidates from abusing their right to political speech. Almost three-quarters of the respondents said they are likely to use a Political Do Not Contact Registry. As one voter put it, “I have small children and a lot to do at home. Phone calls wake up the kids and waste my time. I make my decision without politicians calling me.”

NPDNC