A state lawmaker wants to put an end to "robocalls" during election season. State Representative Spencer Black (D-Madison) plans to introduce legislation next session banning the use of automated telephone calls to spread political messages. Black says those calls are excessively intrusive on personal privacy.
Black says the need for the law became clear after robocalls were used to try and keep voters away from the polls in other states. Some of those calls were allegedly placed by Republicans, and harassed Democratic voters in an effort to stop them from voting.
Both Wisconsin Democrats and Republicans used robocalls in Wisconsin during the recent election. Black says he wants to see that stopped in the future. He says ground rules are needed for a tool that's readily available to both sides right now. The proposal is modeled after an Indiana law.