Kent Ninomiya - If you live in a state where your presidential primary election hasn't been held yet, prepare yourself to be annoyed. You will likely be inundated by robotic telephone calls asking you to support one candidate or another. Since there are lots of candidates on the ballot expect to get lots of calls. Nothing is more annoying than a machine interrupting your meal, sleep, family time, etc. Now imagine getting multiple calls for days in a row prior to election day. Candidates are turning to robo-calls because they are cheap and efficient. Volunteers used to make the calls but they were slow and limited by the number of people you could round up at your phone bank. Machines can call every number in the phone book and never take a bathroom break. If you think being on the "do not call" list will protect you guess again. Sales calls always get past the list and the sheer volume of political calls guarantees that more will slip through. Some states are making efforts to limit robo calls but effectiveness varies.

Here's my take on the trend. I am so annoyed when I get a robotic sales call I vow never to do business with whomever calls. Likewise, I'm sure many voters will decide against candidates who sanction robotic calls to their homes. This whole robo call thing could backfire on presidential hopefuls. Kent Ninomiya