The votes are counted, the campaign is winding down, and there's a list of thousands of consented voter numbers sitting in your platform. What happens to it now is a question most campaigns don't plan for, and it has real compliance and ethical weight.
The consent doesn't evaporate, but neither is it unlimited
People who opted in agreed to hear from a campaign, in a context. That consent doesn't automatically transfer to a different candidate, a different committee, or a purpose they never signed up for. Selling or handing the list to an unrelated campaign, or repurposing it for something the subscriber never agreed to, breaks the consent and, depending on what you promised, the rules. What you said at opt-in governs what you can do at wind-down.
STOP still means STOP
Every opt-out you collected is permanent. If the list moves anywhere it's legitimately allowed to, a continuing organization, a subsequent cycle you told subscribers about, the suppression list moves with it and stays honored. An opt-out doesn't reset because the campaign ended.
The three honest options
Keep it, if you're a continuing committee or you told subscribers they'd hear from you across cycles, and keep honoring every opt-out and your original promise. Transfer it, only where consent genuinely allows and the receiving entity honors the same terms and suppression list. Or delete it, the cleanest option for a one-time campaign that made no continuing promise. State your retention and deletion intent, and follow it.
What you owe the people on it
Underneath the rules is a simple obligation: the voters who trusted you with their number did so for a reason, and honoring that reason is the whole basis of a list worth having. Treat the list at wind-down the way you'd want yours treated. That's not just compliance, it's the reputation you carry into the next race.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell or give my texting list to another campaign after the election?
Generally no. Consent was given to your campaign for a purpose. Transferring it to an unrelated candidate or committee, or a purpose the subscriber never agreed to, breaks the consent and likely the rules. What you promised at opt-in governs.
Do opt-outs still apply after the campaign ends?
Yes. STOP is permanent. If the list legitimately moves anywhere, the suppression list moves with it and stays honored. An opt-out doesn't reset because the cycle is over.
What should I do with the list?
Keep it only if you're continuing and told subscribers so, transfer it only where consent allows and the recipient honors the same terms, or delete it, the cleanest choice for a one-time campaign. Decide, state it, and follow through.
Wind-down is a records question too. See running a compliance self-audit.
Keep reading: How voters can revoke texting consent and do campaigns need consent to text voters.