Gmail users could start seeing more campaign emails hitting their inboxes over the next few days as a new political filters system is rolled out.
The pilot program to keep campaign emails out of the junk mail was going to be launched this week, according to a report. The program was announced in June and allows candidates, political party committees, and leadership political action committees to apply for exemption.
The program was approved by the Federal Election Commission in August after the agency was asked to sign off on it.
The move comes after months of criticism from Republicans who fear that they are being unfairly flagged for junk mail. A study by North Carolina State University suggested that Republicans were correct in accusing Silicon Valley tech companies of being biased against them. Kevin McCarthy introduced legislation banning email filters that were biased.
The pilot is expected to begin with a small number of campaigns from both parties and will test whether the changes will improve the user experience.
Republicans have seen their political war chests plummet in the run up to the November elections. The Washington Post reported in July that Democrats were ahead of Republicans when it came to small-dollar donations. The National Republican Senatorial Committee raised a record $181 million by the end of July but spent most of it before the general elections.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
