Record Setting 5 Billion Political Texts Sent In October 2020

Rhea-AI Summary

In October 2020, RoboKiller reported a staggering 5.06 billion political text messages sent to Americans, marking an 85% increase from September and the highest monthly total on record. The data highlights a significant shift from phone calls as political campaigns increasingly rely on text messaging to engage voters and solicit donations. Major states receiving these messages include California, Florida, and Texas, which together accounted for 35% of the total. The rise in political texts reflects changing campaign strategies amidst the ongoing pandemic.

Positive

• Record-high political text messages at 5.06 billion in October 2020.
• Major increase of 85% from September 2020.
• California, Florida, and Texas generated 871 million texts, 35% of total.

Negative

• Concerns over misleading information contained in political texts.
• Potential misuse of political texts beyond donation requests post-election.

NEW YORK, Nov. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- RoboKiller, the app that eliminates unwanted spam calls and texts, reveals over 5 billion political text messages reached Americans in October alone - an 85% increase from September. According to RoboKiller's proprietary political message trends, these estimated totals mark the highest number of political messages sent in a single month on record. 

2020 MONTHLY POLITICAL MESSAGE TOTALS
Month	Estimated Republican Texts	Estimated Democrat Texts	Total Political Texts
January 2020	244,130,290	34,840,489	256,704,967
February 2020	305,294,849	49,730,976	327,066,731
March 2020	382,100,207	71,044,376	417,059,916
April 2020	478,298,046	101,506,993	531,892,751
May 2020	599,034,632	145,108,954	678,705,990
June 2020	350,439,888	120,196,336	470,636,224
July 2020	747,533,492	222,164,300	952,550,431
August 2020	1,215,366,173	623,932,849	1,809,301,773
September 2020	1,869,531,967	912,630,892	2,734,926,097
October 2020	3,284,724,435	1,836,908,384	5,060,050,472

STATE-LEVEL POLITICAL MESSAGE TRENDS, OCTOBER 2020

In October 2020, California, Florida, Texas, New York, and Pennsylvania residents were among the top receivers with a combined 871 million political text messages - 35% of the total messages sent in October 2020.

RoboKiller's October political message trends indicate that both Republican and Democratic parties focused their political text message efforts on swing states and states that had early voting in attempts to influence voter turnout and generate last minute campaign donations.

TOP 10 MOST POLITICALLY TEXT STATES, LAST 30 DAYS
State	Republican Texts	Democrat Texts	Total
California	154,679,458	80,319,413	234,998,871
Texas	162,872,885	56,441,294	219,314,179
New York	122,269,882	61,336,774	183,606,656
Florida	100,205,582	38,793,128	138,998,709
Pennsylvania	63,342,398	30,953,368	94,295,766
Georgia	54,357,011	20,400,832	74,757,843
Illinois	50,815,972	20,987,823	71,803,795
Ohio	50,947,467	19,895,726	70,843,194
New Jersey	47,443,823	21,020,369	68,464,191
North Carolina	40,279,630	19,255,974	59,535,604

What is causing the explosion of political text messages this election season?

The uptick in text messages vs. phone calls in 2020 is reflective of the changing political campaign landscape and how parties and politicians are targeting voters. RoboKiller first identified a shift in June 2020, when political text totals increased by 50% from May 2020 and robocalls decreased 17%. Since then, the number of texts have continued to rise by an average of 30% each month, while political robocall totals remain stagnant.

These trends indicate that political text messaging is playing a critical role in 2020 campaigns, especially when it comes to fundraising. Nearly 80% of the text messages RoboKiller identified included a donation request to campaigns, Super PACs, or third-party fundraising organizations such as WinRed or ActBlue. With COVID-19 limiting in-person campaign tactics such as rallies or door knocking, texting has become one of the primary ways political campaigns are generating funding and voter support for one of the most contentious presidential elections in history.

A list of RoboKiller's top 100 most sent political text messages by political party can be made available upon request.

Are all of these political messages legitimate?

Although phone scammers are always trying to take advantage of highly publicized current events like this presidential election, not all messages are scams - in fact the majority of messages RoboKiller identified in October were sent by politically affiliated organizations. Almost 50% of October 2020 political messages received by RoboKiller customers came from short codes, which are five or six digit phone numbers used by political campaigns to send and receive text messages.

However,  a legitimate source does not always mean they are wanted messages or contain factual information. Text messages and robocalls containing misleading information about mail-in voting and political candidates were another pain point for Americans this year. However, in recent months, RoboKiller has found that political texts containing misinformation targeted towards vulnerable voters in specific areas are happening at a lower rate than other election-related messages like donations or election surveys.

RoboKiller is working diligently to identify messages that include misinformation to hold senders accountable. If you're aware of any targeted robocall or text message containing misinformation, RoboKiller may be able to help.

Will these political text messages stop after the polls close on November 3rd?

Given the uncertainty surrounding when America will have a declared winner of the presidential election, RoboKiller predicts political text message volume may continue to stay at elevated levels between the time the polls close on November 3rd and even after the election is over. Though no texts of this nature have yet to be identified, RoboKiller will be monitoring closely to ensure political texts are not misused to incite any action outside of donation requests and voter support following the official poll results.

More information regarding RoboKiller's findings, including state-level data and tips on how Americans can unsubscribe from any unwanted political messages are available upon request.

About RoboKiller:
RoboKiller is one of the top iPhone utility apps in the US, helping users block over 500M telemarketers and robocalls from calling their phones. With over 5 billion robocalls made to US consumers each month, phone spam continues to be the #1 complaint to the FCC, driving hundreds of thousands of RoboKiller app downloads per month. RoboKiller, a Teltech brand, is a division of Mosaic Group, an IAC Company (NASDAQ: IAC).

RoboKiller employs an unbiased, anonymous machine-learning based approach to understand political message trends. The estimates above are based on RoboKiller's proprietary data and user feedback and are for information purposes only. Robocall trends, text trends, and featured data are not a representation of any single political party, person, or organization's campaign efforts.

 

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SOURCE RoboKiller

FAQ

What was the total number of political texts sent in October 2020?

In October 2020, RoboKiller reported a total of 5.06 billion political text messages sent.

Which states received the most political text messages in October 2020?

The top states for political text messages were California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania.

How much did political text messages increase from September to October 2020?

The volume of political text messages increased by 85% from September to October 2020.

What is RoboKiller's role in analyzing political text messages?

RoboKiller uses machine learning to assess and report trends in political messaging, identifying both legitimate and misleading texts.

What impact is expected from political text messages after the election?

RoboKiller predicts that political text messaging may remain high even after polls close, due to uncertainties around election results.