Robocalls

If robocalls are illegal in Minnesota, why do so many politicians keep making them?

Earlier this month, for example, the McCain campaign was criticized for using robocalls against Barack Obama in the state. It was made by Jeff Larson, Norm Coleman’s landlord in Washington, according to Finance and Commerce, although the company denied making the calls..

But ignoring Minnesota’s anti-robocall law is a bipartisan effort. Today, I got this one from Al Franken’s campaign.

1. Audio not found

Shaun Dakin, CEO & founder of the National Political Do Not Contact Registry told Huffington Post two weeks ago:

“Most robocalls are supposed to have two things, “paid for by X” and a phone number of the group making the call. Most do that. Now, that being said, there are some states that have their own robocall laws and they are much stricter. Minnesota pretty much bans robocalls entirely unless they are introduced by a human voice. And that pretty much never happens because it defeats the point.”

In August, state Attorney General Lori Swanson sent a memo to candidates outlining the state’s automated telephone law.

: Via Twitter I’ve just learned about this Web site that is tracking robocalls.