Political texting, explained.
Field notes on running verified voter outreach, 10DLC and TCPA in plain language, and what actually moves a race.
What Is Political Texting? The Complete Guide for Campaigns
Political texting is how campaigns reach voters by SMS and RCS to persuade, mobilize, fundraise, and organize. Here's how it works, the two formats, what it costs, the rules, and why it beats every other channel.
TCPA Compliance for Political Texting, the Complete Guide
The TCPA governs every political text. Campaigns are exempt from written consent but must still have consent, honor STOP instantly, identify themselves, text in reasonable hours, and keep four years of records. Here's the whole picture.
Quiet Hours by State, When You Can and Can't Text Voters
Federal rules and a growing patchwork of state mini-TCPA laws set the hours you can text voters. Here's how quiet hours work, why recipient local time is what counts, and how to stay compliant across a multi-state list.
How to Grow a Texting List That's Actually Yours
The strongest texting list is one you earned, not bought. Here are the ways campaigns grow a consented list at the source, QR codes, keywords, pledge pages, referrals, relational, and canvass capture, and why a bought list is a liability.
What 10DLC Actually Means for Your Campaign
10DLC is the carrier registration that decides whether your political texts land or get filtered. Here's what it is, the Political Special Use Case, Campaign Verify, how to register, and what happens if you skip it.
How to Run a Text Bank, the Organizer's Guide
A text bank is the texting version of a phone bank, a list, a script, a shift, and volunteers sending peer-to-peer. Here's how to set one up, recruit and train texters, write scripts that get replies, and run it well.
Do Political Campaigns Need Consent to Text Voters?
Yes, campaigns need consent to text voters, but not the signed written consent that binds commercial marketers. Here's the consent standard political campaigns actually have to meet, what counts, and what doesn't.
Peer-to-Peer vs Broadcast Texting, Which One and When
P2P is one person sending one message at a time; broadcast is one message to a whole list. Use P2P to persuade and recruit, broadcast to mobilize an opted-in list. Here's how each works, the trade-offs, and when to run which.
GOTV Texting, the 72-Hour Plan
The last 72 hours decide close races. Here's a get-out-the-vote texting plan for the final push, from the early-vote and mail-ballot chase to the polling-location send on Election Day, with the timing, the messages, and the format for each.
Political Texting Benchmarks, the Numbers That Actually Matter
What's a normal open rate, reply rate, and opt-out rate for political texting? Here are the benchmarks that matter, how to read them, and which numbers actually predict whether your program is working.
Campaign Verify Explained, What It Is and When You Need It
Campaign Verify is the nonpartisan vetting that confirms a political sender is a real committee. For 527s and many campaigns it's effectively required to access the political texting lane. Here's what it is and how to get it.
STOP and HELP, Handling Text Opt-Outs the Right Way
Every political text program has to process STOP and HELP instantly, automatically, and permanently, across every campaign. Here's how opt-out handling works, the human-worded opt-out most tools miss, and why it's a hard requirement.