The Kansas City (Mo.) Star on political robotexts (Aug. 3):

Political text messages sent to mobile devices are allowed under federal regulations. But robocalls and robotexts to mobile phones require expressed prior consent from the recipients, according to the Federal Communication Commission.

Did anyone ask you for permission to light up your phone?

The proliferation of unsolicited mobile phone campaign ads must end. And the federal oversight agency must crack down on the practice. Unwarranted mobile phone messages are annoying, and can distract us from important matters.

In the days and weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary, unsuspecting voters were besieged with text after text. Some messages included an option to opt out from receiving more messages. Others didn’t. And that is a pressing issue that must be addressed.

Federal regulations are supposed to protect us from unwanted political robocalls or texts, which can be disseminated without prior consent if sent manually, according to FCC regulations. But the legal workaround is annoying, and requires recipients to do the work.

Voters can take matters into their own hands by forwarding unsolicited texts to 7726 (or SPAM).

Campaigns must also honor opt-out requests if they get a reply of STOP, the FCC states on its website. But where is the darn oversight and enforcement of the regulations?

From the FCC: If you think you’ve received a political robocall or text that does not comply with the FCC’S rules, you can file an informal complaint with the federal agency at fcc.gov/complaints.