Posts tagged consent.
Yes, with consent, but draw a hard line between official and campaign communications. Official office texts to constituents who opted in follow the texting rules; using official constituent lists for campaign or fundraising texts crosses into rules against that, check your jurisdiction.
Campaigns assume a supporter's action gives them permission to text. Voters, and the carrier standard, disagree. The three consent myths that get programs flagged.
Yes, opt-in resident alert programs (service updates, emergency notices, reminders) are common and valuable, and they follow the same consent-and-opt-out logic. Emergency alerts have some separate legal footing, but routine informational texting still needs opt-in and STOP.
Prior express written consent: a clear, affirmative agreement to receive texts (often autodialed) at a specific number, with disclosures about what they'll get and that they can reply STOP. A pre-checked box, a buried clause, or 'they gave us their number' doesn't count.
A voter who gave you their email or agreed to calls hasn't necessarily agreed to texts. Here's how consent works across channels, why texting needs its own opt-in, and how to collect consent that actually covers text.
The "established business relationship" is a familiar telemarketing concept, but it's a weak reed for texting cell phones. Here's what EBR is, why it doesn't do the work campaigns hope, and what to rely on instead.
A single inbound message isn't blanket consent to add them to your broadcast list, but it opens a conversation you can reply to. To send them ongoing campaign texts, confirm the opt-in: reply with your disclosures and a clear way to subscribe, and log it.
Functionally none, both mean the person has withdrawn consent and you must stop texting them. STOP is the standard keyword that triggers automatic removal, but an opt-out in any words ('remove me,' 'unsubscribe') carries the same weight and the same obligation.
With federal TCPA protections holding flat, states are filling the gap, and 2026 is set to bring more mini-TCPA laws. Here's the state-law outlook for campaign texting and what the trend means for a multi-state program.
The core texting rules, consent, STOP, quiet hours, 10DLC, apply to nonprofits and advocacy groups too. What differs is the surrounding law: tax-status limits on political activity (especially for 501(c)(3)s) and disclosure rules for issue advocacy. Check both layers.
The FCC's "revoke all" opt-out rule would treat a STOP as opting a person out of everything, and on January 6, 2026 the agency extended a waiver while it reconsiders the scope. Here's what it means, and why you should honor opt-outs regardless.
Effective January 1, 2026, Virginia SB 1339 adds consent and identification requirements for automated political outreach, and the state now requires opt-out records to be kept for years. Here's what campaigns texting Virginia need to know.