Here’s an incentive to turn your ballot in early: It may save you more robocalls and political mailers.
Campaigns often use software like one by Political Data Inc. to show who has cast a ballot — though not how they voted. Once your name makes the list, they make an effort to leave you alone, says political analyst Vince Vasquez.
Campaigns can check a box to weed out those who have already voted, even narrowing it down by demographics or the specific political race.
Vasquez is working with a nonprofit that uses the Political Data program to target Asian voters in San Diego’s 6th City Council District.
“We're doing it now to only target those voters who have not yet cast ballots, the reason being we're limited in our budget and volunteer time and we don't want to waste any money or any effort,” said Vasquez.
It’s hopeful news for residents in the 52nd Congressional District, where one of the most competitive races in the country is playing out.
Ads, phone calls, door-to-door volunteers and fliers bombard homes there, hoping to sway people to their side.
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“It's really irritating to receive that kind of mail,” said Mira Mesa resident Tom Derr. “One or two is fine, but when you get dozens of these things all the time, I don't even bother looking anymore. I see it I pull it out and I throw it in the recycle bin,” he said.
But not all the campaigns are using such software.
Bill Filio told NBC 7 he turned in his ballot, but he’s still getting two to three mailers a day.
While there is not guaranteed it’s foolproof, voting early may be a solution for those particularly irked by constant ads.