Minnesota voters see surge in campaign texts and calls ahead of Tuesday vote

Residents across Minnesota are receiving more text messages and phone calls from political campaigns as Election Day approaches on Tuesday. Campaigns and organizations are ramping up these efforts to raise funds and mobilize supporters. The volume of outreach is expected to increase over the coming weekend.

David Schultz, a professor of political science and legal studies at Hamline University, notes that some messages reference personal voting history or the status of absentee ballots. He clarifies that while the content of a ballot is protected, details like registration status and early voting are public record. "They cannot get the content of your ballot; that is protected," Schultz said. "Requests for absentee ballots, if you've already returned your absentee ballots, if you've already voted early, are you registered to vote or not? All of that is public information."

Schultz explains that this transparency allows for public inspection to ensure no illegal activity or impersonation occurs. He attributes the surge in messages to the competitive nature of Minnesota races and a generational shift in how campaigns communicate. "Where I think the biggest impact is, is going to be for those voters who are on the edge saying, 'Should I vote, not vote?' or for first-time voters especially," he said. "For them, these messages are incredibly important."

Voters with concerns about the messages they receive should contact their county board of elections office. For text messages, recipients can reply with STOP to end the communication.