An opt-in is the moment a voter agrees to receive texts from your campaign. It's the foundation of every compliant texting program, because without it a message is unsolicited, and unsolicited is where the legal and deliverability trouble starts. Here's what an opt-in is, what makes one valid, and what people wrongly treat as one.
What counts as an opt-in?
An action a person takes that signals they want your texts, captured with a record. Valid opt-ins include:
- Texting a keyword to join.
- Scanning a QR code and confirming on a subscribe page.
- Checking a box for campaign texts on a web form or event signup.
- Handing their number to the campaign directly with a clear ask.
The common thread is a deliberate action plus a logged record of when and how it happened. That record is what makes the opt-in defensible later.
Why is the opt-in the foundation?
Because consent is the first of the four things every political text needs, and the opt-in is where consent comes from. A clean opt-in list is deliverable and defensible; a list without opt-ins invites complaints, carrier filtering, and TCPA exposure. Everything else in a texting program, segmentation, persuasion, GOTV, sits on top of the opt-in. Get it right and the rest has a foundation; skip it and the whole program is built on sand.
What is not an opt-in?
A phone number by itself. A voter file gives you the number but not permission; a purchased list is not consent; and one organization's opt-in doesn't transfer to another. Treating any of these as an opt-in is the most common way campaigns end up texting people who never agreed to hear from them, which is exactly the fact pattern the rules target.
Frequently asked questions
What is an opt-in in texting?
It's the moment a voter agrees to receive your texts, by texting a keyword, scanning a QR code, checking a box, or handing over their number, captured with a record of when and how.
What makes an opt-in valid?
A deliberate action by the person plus a logged record of it. The action shows intent; the record makes it defensible if anyone asks later.
Is a voter file an opt-in?
No. A voter file gives you the number, not permission to text it. Neither is a purchased list or another organization's opt-in.
Keep reading: do campaigns need consent to text voters? and what is a keyword?. For the rules, see the FCC.