Mobile phones across Australia have received texts from the equality campaign encouraging them to ‘Vote Yes’ in the gay marriage postal survey.
The unsolicited message was sent out randomly to people across the country on Saturday and asked people to ‘vote YES for a fairer Australia’.
The move sparked outrage from those online however, with many flocking to social media to express their concern about how the campaign had got their numbers.
Mobile phones across Australia received texts from the equality campaign on Saturday encouraging them to ‘Vote Yes’ in the gay marriage postal survey
The unsolicited message (pictured) was sent out randomly to people across the country on Saturday and asked people to ‘vote YES for a fairer Australia’
The messages were sent by ‘YesEquality’ and told people the survey forms had arrived and that people could ‘help make history,’ before pointing them to their website.
But people did not take kindly to the campaign’s effort, with Facebook and Twitter users stating they felt ‘violated’.
‘Excuse me but did anyone else get a “vote yes for marriage equality” text message? How did they get my phone number? I feel violated,’ one person wrote.
Another labelled the message ‘spam,’ while a Facebook user wrote they were determined to vote no and asked whether the campaign was allowed to text people.
The move sparked outrage from those online however, with many flocking to social media to express their concern
Dozens of outraged people sent the message took to social media, asking how the organisation had received their numbers
Dozens of other people who had been sent the message also took to social media, asking again how the organisation had received their numbers.
‘Not sure how the voteyes.org.au got my mobile number to test me with a message to vote yes. Not sure if I’m cool with that…’ one perturbed person wrote.
Another angered person added: ‘Wish the YES campaigners would back off!’
While one woman wrote: ‘Just received a text message from the vote yes campaign… how dare they force their opinions on me.’
‘I didn’t give them my number or my permission to contact me. More bullying from the LGBTQI community,’ she added.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Marriage Equality campaign for comment.
Facebook and Twitter users stated they felt ‘violated’ their numbers had been used and asked whether the campaign is ‘allowed to do this’ (pictured)
One woman called the attempt ‘bullying’, while another said they wished the campaigners would back off