In a last ditch effort to try to persuade the Florida voters to go against the state’s medical marijuana initiative (Amendment 2) in the upcoming election, Drug Free Florida set up a last-minute robocall program last weekend to round up opposition.
Things didn’t go as planned.
According to a report from Sunshine State News, Drug Free Florida’s “Vote No on 2” campaign began calling voters during the wee hours of Sunday morning. Some people complained of receiving calls as early as 3am, while others said the phone was ringing off the hook until sunrise.
“We were not amused,” said Pensacola resident Judy Druener, who told SSN that the No on 2 campaign awakened her household at 4:38 a.m. “I’m sure there are rules for when political calls can and can’t be made, but even if there aren’t, who in their right mind would pay a firm to manage a PR campaign that thinks making oh-dark thirty robo-calls are a good idea?”
It wasn’t long after residents started receiving the early morning anti-marijuana wake-up call that the No on 2 Facebook page lit up with a legion of angry people, who seemed prepared to drag whoever was responsible for cramping the style of their Sunday slumber out into the streets of the state’s 67 counties and flog them with a wet rubber hose.
“Who in the world authorized robo calls this morning at 5am in Tallahassee? I am very upset,” one person wrote. “I take care of my elderly parents and unfortunately, when I receive a call at 5 am I immediately think something is wrong with their health. Surprisingly at church today others shared the same concern that had received the same early call. I would like an explanation!”
One woman even suggested the early morning call might cause some No on 2 supporters to switch sides and stand in support for medical marijuana.
“A call at 5 a.m. Might cause a YES vote from some folks. Know it upset me. Very thoughtless move,” she wrote.
After catching a lot of heat from a mob of miffed Floridians, the No on 2 campaign took to its Facebook page to offer an apology.
“Our sincerest apologies to those voters who inadvertently received a recorded call during the early morning hours on Sunday,” the Vote No on 2 campaign said in a statement. “It was not our intention to have those calls made at that hour. These calls were supposed to be made starting in the early PM and were mistakenly sent in the early AM. We are very sorry for the inconvenience.”
A spokesperson for the No on 2 campaign told SSN the calls were supposed to be made between noon and 7 p.m.
There is only about a week left before the Florida voters hit the polls to decide whether the state should legalize a comprehensive medical marijuana program through Amendment 2. So far, the majority of the polls show more than 70 percent support on the issue. This is good news considering that Florida law forces ballot measure to receive 60 percent support. Incidentally, Amendment 2 failed back in 2014 by a measly two points.
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