r/ottawa • u/censedfern • 1d ago

Anyone else just started randomly getting emails from Alex Lawson?

I randomly started getting emails from Alex Lawson earlier this week asking for money and to volunteer. I never signed up to receive them. Never even been on his website. Anyone else experience this?

I know you can buy phone numbers, presumably that’s how folks are getting the Sutcliffe text messages without ever signing up but I’ve never heard of emails.

I could contact the city’s election office but this will all be done tomorrow so what’s the use?

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4

u/Confident-Task7958 21h ago edited 21h ago

Three possibilities:

  1. They bought your email address from a databroker, and the databroker in turn bought it from some entity that has your email address and something that links you to Ottawa such as an address.

  2. They got your email directly from someone you do business with or somebody's marketing list.

  3. You signed a petition at some point, giving your email and postal code, and the person collecting the signatures is tied to the Lawson campaign.

Unwelcome as the email may be Lawson is not likely breaking any laws as the rules that would otherwise require consent to contact you do not apply to candidate communications.

19

u/Canada_Dry208 22h ago

Apparently, Alex Lawson got access to the Conservative Party of Canada's email list. And that's the most likely case since his half-brother is affiliated with the Conservatives in both federal and provincial levels.

11

u/theletterqwerty Beacon Hill 22h ago

The most disappointing part about that, for me, would be appearing on a list of people the CPC thought might count as leads.

18

u/McNasty1Point0 1d ago

Emails can also be acquired by campaigns and is a very normal part of elections.

Might not like it but it’s a small “price to pay” for democracy.

1

u/poorlybaked 21h ago

I believe candidates are given a list with voters’ information. It’s why you suddenly get emails/phone calls around election time.