AUSTIN, Texas — It happened just a couple of days ago.
"I received a knock on the door from my neighbor," said John Schlueter, a registered voter.
The neighbor told him something he never thought he'd hear.
"Saying that she had been receiving text messages from Save Austin [Now], saying that I had voted," he added.
His wife said the same.
"Supposedly, they said they knew her neighbors, which is my husband and myself, had voted for Prop A, and if we knew people were saying that," said Veronica Schlueter.
Proposition A is an item on the November ballot that would increase police staffing for the city of Austin.
Both of the Schlueters names were used in the text messages.
The part that upset him the most: The message made it seem like he and his wife voted for Prop A, when he didn't.
A spokesperson from the Travis County Clerk's Office said, under Texas law, the office has to provide daily voter rosters on its website. That means there's a public record showing the Schlueters voted, but how they voted is not disclosed.
It's unclear how the sender knew whether or not Mrs. Schlueter supports Prop A. She also said she didn't sign a petition in support of the proposal.
"How do they know?" she said. "How did they find out? I didn't tell anyone who I voted for."
FCC rules allow political text messages as long as they are sent manually and not through "robo-texting."
If you wish to stop receiving political text messages, the FCC has some advice:
- Campaigns should honor opt-out requests if you reply, "Stop."
- You can call or email the organization and ask to be removed from their list.
- If you suspect the text message is breaking FCC rules, you can forward the message to 7726 (or "SPAM").
KVUE reached out to the Save Austin Now campaign for a statement. This story will be updated if one is received.
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