Political texts piling up? Houston voters describe campaign overload as tech expert explains data brokers

HOUSTON - Campaign messages are reaching Houston voters through their phones and mailboxes, prompting some to tune out and others to wonder how the senders know their names.

Two voters who spoke with FOX 26 described receiving political outreach ahead of the midterm election. While one said he ignores most of it, another said increasingly personal text messages have caught his attention.

The messages raise questions about how campaigns obtain contact information, what voters can do to limit their exposure and whether casting a ballot early could help reduce the notifications.

What we know:

Kendall Baker said political outreach is familiar to him, but the tone of the texts stands out this election season.

"I did notice, however, an increase in the text messages," Baker said. "Text messages have become more approachable. It’s almost like they know you."

Baker, who said he supports Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, described receiving a message invoking the candidate’s name while he was heading to vote.

But the outreach has not been limited to candidates he supports. Baker said he has received messages about Republican and Democratic candidates, including Paxton, James Talarico, Greg Abbott and Gina Hinojosa.

"The messages have been mixed," he said.

Another voter, who identified himself as Daryl, said the outreach has done little to change his thinking.

"I ignore most of it, because I know where I stand," he said. "And I only have so much time for that. And yeah, I’m comfortable where I am."

The interviews reflect those voters’ experiences and do not establish an overall increase in campaign messages across the Houston area.

What they're saying:

FOX tech expert Juan Guevara Torres said data brokers are one way contact information can become available to organizations seeking to reach people.

Data brokers collect and combine information into profiles that can be made available commercially, he explained.

"Data brokers build an identity around us," Guevara Torres said. "That’s their whole model, it’s their own business."

Those profiles can connect details such as a person’s name, phone number and address, he said.

FOX 26 has not established where the senders of the messages described by the voters obtained their contact information. Guevara Torres’ explanation describes a potential source of information rather than tracing those specific texts to a particular broker.

Baker also suggested that artificial intelligence could be contributing to the personal feel of campaign messages. However, the interviews did not establish whether AI was used to produce or send the texts he received.

What you can do:

Guevara Torres recommended looking into requests to remove personal information from data brokers. People can pursue requests themselves or consider services that submit requests on their behalf.

He cautioned that reducing exposure takes time and that information can become available again as people continue interacting with online services.

"It takes time to be able to slow them down," he said.

Removal options, coverage and results vary. A data-removal service should not be treated as a guarantee that every campaign text will stop or that every copy of someone’s information will disappear.

What's next:

For voters planning to cast a ballot early, there may be another effect: fewer campaign texts.

Political analyst Mark Jones, speaking with FOX’s Steven Dial, said many campaigns take voters off their texting lists once records show they have voted early.

That means records of whether someone voted, not whom they voted for.

The change would not necessarily stop every message, but it could reduce some campaign outreach after a voter has cast a ballot.

For now, the voters who spoke with FOX 26 are responding differently to the messages—one noticing their increasingly personal approach, the other largely ignoring them.