Compliance sets the window; engagement optimizes inside it. You may only send between 8am and 9pm in each recipient's local time, that's non-negotiable. Within that band, messages tend to land best in the late afternoon and early evening, when people are free and checking their phones. Legal first, then timing.
The compliance floor
Quiet hours are 8am-9pm in the recipient's local time zone, which means a national list has to be gated per-recipient, not sent all at once on your clock. Get this wrong and timing optimization is moot, you're exposed regardless of response rate.
Optimizing inside the window
Late afternoon and early evening generally outperform mid-morning for engagement, but your list is your list. Test send times against your own response data, and always segment by local time zone so 'evening' means evening for them, not for you.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best time to send campaign texts?
Within quiet hours (8am-9pm recipient local time), late afternoon and early evening tend to engage best. But the legal window comes first, gate sends to each recipient's local time, then optimize.
What are the legal hours to text voters?
8am to 9pm in the recipient's local time zone. A national list must be gated per-recipient by time zone, not sent all at once on the sender's clock.
Informational, not legal advice.
Keep reading: What time can campaigns text voters and How to schedule GOTV texts without breaking quiet hours.