Political robocalls keep phones ringing

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Is there anything you can do about your phone ringing off the hook with political robocalls during campaign season?

Almost anyone with a landline still gets them. And after awhile, those automated political calls become a major nuisance.

Chris Marsowicz said, "They always call at the worst time. It's dinner time, it's like between 5 and 5:30. You get the delay, then you hear it go on there so it's pretty annoying."

Peter Dolansky recalled, "Last night, I think it was, on my answering machine, trying to paint Romney as changing his stances."

About six years ago, Shaun Dakin tried to do something about them. But Dakin learned, "When the Congress put into effect the Do Not Call Registry, of course they exempted themselves from the law."

So there is no manner of legal recourse you can take to stop political calls to your home, but Dakin has started a non-profit registry called Stop Political Calls.org.

"The more people that sign up, the better. We're at almost 600,000 across the country," Dakin noted.

The program calls all state and congressional representatives and asks if they will accept the list of their own constituents who do not want to be called.

"Since 2008, we've had about 36 politicians who have joined us. Unfortunately, nobody in the Buffalo area, but potentially this segment will get them to join," Dakin hoped, adding, "We'd be happy to give them a list of people in Buffalo who do not want robocalls."

"And so the more people who have signed up, the more the politicians will listen to us."

For your cellphone, all automated calls are illegal, even political robocalls are not allowed to reach your cellphone without the party responsible for the call facing a $16,000 fine.

If you'd like to join Dakin's movement to try and stop political robocalls, you can learn more here.