I don’t think this gets passed in the end. Are incumbents willing to take away a tactic from their selection?

Part man. Part machine. Fully automated. The future of political campaigning might be coming back to a phone near you.

Robocalls, or automated campaign messages sent by or for politicians, are cheap and virtually guaranteed to continue to grow in popularity — unless state lawmakers across the country, including those in Pennsylvania, pass laws to squelch them.

Almost two-thirds of registered voters nationwide received recorded telephone messages as the 2006 mid-term election came to a close, according to an analysis by Pew Internet & American Life Project. Only direct mail reached more voters, 71 percent, than robocalls, 64 percent. Next most popular was a live phone call from campaign workers, received by 23 percent of voters.

“We’re only going to see an increased use, unless it’s regulated,” said G. Terry Madonna, director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster.