David Vella, 34, was driving home after a long day’s work when his phone rang.

“I activated my car’s hands-free system and answered the call. I couldn’t believe it – another politician asking me for their support. I had received three other calls that day already,” he said.

Mr Vella is one of several Times of Malta readers to contact this newspaper after his number found its way into circulation for politicians “from both sides” to call him to ask how they could earn his vote on June 3.

“I told them to leave me alone. And, I’m warning them that if they keep calling, I’m not voting for any of them for sure,” said another irate reader, who preferred not to be named.

Another said he had not received phone calls but complained of the same text message, one from either party, every day.

“I am being messaged by a particular candidate from Labour and another from the Nationalist Party nearly every day.

“What I don’t understand is why a politician thinks that pestering me is the best way to win my vote,” said Carl Attard, 37, from Attard.

Another reader said he was receiving as many as 12 messages from one particular politician contesting his district.

“This system should stop once and for all. Who do they think they are impressing?” she said, also preferring not to be named.

Earlier this month, this newspaper reported how substantial social media use by politicians during the election campaign could prove to be counterproductive in the long run.

Ġorġ Mallia, head of the university’s communication department, warned that while spreading messages with the click of a button could be alluring, the way parties have taken to social media was “bordering on overkill”.

“There is an enormous clutter of live feeds at any one time on Facebook, and this might be leading to actual overkill, making some – potentially even large numbers of users – swear off using social media for the duration of the campaign,” Dr Mallia said.

Meanwhile, other readers have since complained of not being able to use YouTube without a constant barrage of political campaign adverts.

“It seems that we can’t escape politics, not even when I’m listening to a song on YouTube. It’s too much,” Times of Malta reader Kelly Agius said.

 

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