If your phone has been lighting up with political texts at all hours, you’re in good company across Ellis County and the rest of Texas. Voters describe the volume this cycle as relentless, and there’s a clear reason behind it. AdImpact reports that spending on the Texas Senate race has passed $573 million, making it the most expensive non-presidential race in U.S. history. Campaigns are steering a large share of that money into text messaging because it’s one of the cheapest ways to reach voters.

The frustrating part is that there’s no easy off switch. Campaign calls and texts are exempt from the National Do Not Call Registry, so even if you’ve registered your number, political messages can still come through. Americans received roughly 15 million political texts during the 2022 midterms, and with spending at record levels this year, the volume has only grown. Voters like Camille Brown and Krystal King have described the stream as all day and all night, to the point of annoyance.

So what can you do? Blocking individual senders is the most practical option, and many phones now group unknown senders so you can silence them in bulk. SMU political science professor Cal Jillson points out that this is the most expensive Senate race in American history, which means the messaging likely won’t slow down until the ballots are counted. Have you been getting flooded with political texts this week? Tell us how you’re handling it.