![]() As the Supreme Court explained, “he First Amendment has its fullest and most urgent application to speech uttered during a campaign for political office.” 3 Because political speech is central to the First Amendment freedom of speech, Congress has been hesitant to take any actions curtailing campaign speech and may even be powerless to enact any meaningful restrictions. This is because political speech is held in the highest regard and is one of the most protected forms of speech in the United States. Meaning, politicians sending you political e-mails are not required to provide you with an opt-out option, or a clear subject heading. This gives the email recipient a chance to limit additional contact from the commercial sender.īut what about non-commercial spam? The requirements and regulations that commercial senders must abide by do not apply to e-mail messages of non-commercial senders, which includes political messages and non-profit messages, or any message in which the primary purpose is not a commercial advertisement or promotion of a commercial product or service. 2 The CAN-SPAM Act provides a list of five practices that commercial senders must abide by including: prohibition of sending false or misleading transmission information, prohibition of deceptive subject headings, prohibition of continued transmission after objection, inclusion of a return address or comparable mechanism, and inclusion of an identifier, opt-out, and physical address in the commercial e-mail messages. As a result, voters are inundated with spam messages they cannot opt-out of or avoid, and Congress is likely powerless to stop it.Ĭongress recognizes spam messages are a problem and has determined that, “he convenience and efficacy of electronic mail are threatened by the extremely rapid growth in the volume of unsolicited commercial electronic mail.” 1 To provide inboxes with some relief, commercial e-mail spam is federally regulated by the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003. Candidates are increasingly reliant on free mediums (such as email or social media advertising) and low-cost mediums (such as phone calls and text messages) to get their message across to voters and potential donors. While commercial spam tries to entice us to buy something year-round, every two years, voters must also suffer through an uptick of political advertisements during election season. boxes.Anyone with an email address or cell phone is painfully familiar with spam messages, unsolicited e-mails, phone calls, and text messages, clogging our already crowded inboxes and resulting in constant notifications to our phones. Express Courier Service – If time is short or local mail unreliable, you can use professional courier services such as FedEx, DHL, or UPS at your own expense. ![]() Consult the Voting Assistance Guide for options in your state. Fax, Email, or Internet– Some states permit electronic transmission of completed ballots.embassy voting assistance officer or visit the embassy’s website for specific instructions. A postage-paid envelope is available on the FVAP website. postage, or be in a postage-paid envelope. It must be addressed to your local election officials and have sufficient U.S. embassy or consulate for return to the United States. Embassy Diplomatic Pouch– You or another person can drop off your ballot request (FPCA) or completed ballot at the nearest U.S. Local mail – If you have a reliable mail service to the United States, put your ballot in the mail with appropriate international postage.Overseas voters have a number of options for returning completed ballots: Make sure to return it to local election officials in time to meet your state’s deadline. Complete your ballot carefully, legibly, and as early as possible.
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