How to Stop Receiving Political Junk Mail

Even if you’ve managed to stop receiving most junk mail, you might notice mail from political campaigns still manages to find its way into your mailbox. 

The reason for this is simply that political organizations don’t have to follow the strict regulations imposed on direct mailers. This can make political mail difficult to deal with, but thankfully, with a little effort, it’s possible to also stop political junk mail.

Read on to find out how your address ends up on these campaign mailing lists and how to opt out of political mailings.

Why your address ended up on a political mailing list 

The more the politicians know about you, the better their chances to persuade you. So, political organizations collect personal information on local voters using various methods, including state voter files, newsletters, donations, other political campaigns, and data brokers. While you can manually opt-out of Opt Out Of Political Mailings using this guide, you can save time and remove your info from dozens of brokers automatically using DeleteMe.

It’s not just your address, either. Politicians want to know everything about you, from estimated income to credit rating to favorite movies. Though it sounds far-fetched, you’d be shocked to know what politicians can use to try to get your support, and what data brokers know.

So, how do you make sure your personal information doesn’t get into the hands of political organizations so you can reduce all the unwanted mail?

How to remove your address from political mailing lists

Since the reasons you receive political mail may vary, there’s no one solution that will make them all stop at once. But to try to permanently remove your address from political mailing lists going forward, take one or all of the actions below. 

1. Remove yourself from data brokers

The most effective way to reduce political mail is by opting out of data-broker databases and preventing your information from being sold to politicians, non-profits, and Political Action Committees (PACs) in the first place.

Unfortunately, collecting and selling data is a billion dollar industry, so data brokers don’t make the process easy. To remove yourself from 500+ data-broker sites, you need to opt out of each one individually, or you can sign up with a professional data-removal service like Delete Me.

This method is highly effective, and it won’t just reduce political mail and other junk mail, by the way. It can also help protect you from telemarketers and phone scammers, as well as identity theft, and secure your overall digital privacy.

2. Donate to campaigns anonymously 

If you want to donate to a political campaign but don’t want to receive the subsequent mail, a simple and safe solution is to do so anonymously. 

This won’t just help stop unwanted mail. Anonymous donations also reduce your digital footprint. 

3. Verify state and national laws about political data 

Voter registration departments are different in every state. In some, you might have the opportunity to opt out of political mailings when registering to vote. In others, you don’t. Contact your local or state Board of Elections to find out your rights, and carefully read your voter registration form to see whether or not a mailing opt out is available to you.

Additionally, the Federal Election Campaign Act prohibits the sale of campaign donors’ personal information for marketing/commercial purposes or for soliciting donations. Despite that, not all states and municipalities have the same laws regarding local candidates asking for donations, so check your local statutes to see what you can opt out from.

4. Register with DMAchoice

Registering with DMAchoice may not cover political mailings specifically, but it’s a good measure to stop junk mail in general. 

A non-profit organization run by the Data and Marketing Association, DMAchoice allows you to customize mail preferences to manage the type of direct mail you receive. For a nominal fee, you can opt out of entire categories of direct mail, including ads, catalogs, and charity mail.

5. Contact the campaign organization directly

Last but not least, contact any and every political organization individually that’s sending you mail and request they remove you from all solicitation lists. To do so, either call, or send a letter by traditional mail or email using this handy template. 

Of course, there’s always the option to visit the campaign office in person if the organization has a location near you. Most organizations will respect your wishes and stop sending you mail.

Political junk mail questions answered

Hopefully you have a clear idea how to reduce the amount of political junk mail you receive. If you still have questions, check out the Q&A below. 

1. When I register to vote, do I automatically get signed up for political junk mail? 

It depends on the rules of your individual state. In general, voter records are public. That means even if you don’t get signed up by default, PACs and political organizations can still find out your voting history and target you with campaign mail. 

2. Will opting out stop all political junk mail? 

PACs and other political organizations aren’t always transparent about where they’re getting your personal data. Opting out is a start that reduces your exploitable surface. Unfortunately, it’s a long process and requires regular monitoring to make sure your info stays private. That’s why a service like DeleteMe can be helpful. 

3. Why do I get so much political junk mail? 

The number one reason is data brokers, but there may be many others. Typically, reducing your exposure online will directly reduce the amount of junk mail and spam you receive in your day-to-day life. 

4. Can you return political junk mail to sender?

You can, but that won’t prevent more political junk mail from flooding your mailbox in the first place. Your best bet is to reduce your digital footprint if you want to see a long-term reduction in political junk mail. 

Choose to protect your digital privacy

Even though you now have a better idea about how to stop political junk mail, it’s important to realize that protecting your information on the Internet is important for other reasons too.

Apart from junk mail, your personal information exposed online can lead to more spam, fraud, but, most importantly, identity theft.

To keep your information safe, read our comprehensive guide on protecting your Internet privacy, or contact Delete Me to sign up for our service. Our team of privacy experts can identify and scrub personal data from 500+ data-broker sites, and continue to monitor to ensure your information stays secure.

Learn more

• Learn about the data privacy risks of loyalty program apps
• Try out our free scan to check your exposure online
• Discover how privacy policies trick you so companies can misuse your data