Requirements for Political Campaign Texting: Complete Checklist
Want to start texting voters but not sure what you need? Political campaign texting has legal requirements, technical prerequisites, and resource needs that must be met before you send your first message.
This guide provides a complete checklist of requirements for political campaign texting—from legal compliance to technical setup to team resources—so you can launch quickly and confidently.
Legal and Regulatory Requirements
Get these right or face fines and legal exposure.
TCPA Compliance Requirements
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act regulates text messaging.
Required elements in every message:
- Clear identification of sender (campaign name)
- Opt-out instructions (typically "Reply STOP to opt out")
- Cannot be longer than prevents message clarity
Consent requirements:
- P2P texting: Implied consent often sufficient (supporters, donors, volunteers)
- A2P texting: Prior express written consent typically required
- Document consent source for all contacts
Opt-out processing requirements:
- Process STOP requests immediately (within seconds, not hours)
- Never contact opted-out numbers again
- Maintain suppression list indefinitely
- Honor requests across all future campaigns
Timing restrictions:
- Federal: No specific hour restrictions for political
- State laws vary: Some prohibit before 8 AM or after 9 PM
- Best practice: Only text 9 AM - 9 PM recipient's local time
Record keeping:
- Maintain audit trail of all messages
- Document opt-out requests with timestamps
- Keep consent records
- Retain for statute of limitations period
Learn more:
FCC Requirements
Federal Communications Commission regulates messaging.
Political messaging rules:
- Must identify who paid for message
- Cannot misrepresent sender identity
- Must honor opt-out requests
- Subject to truth-in-advertising standards
Carrier regulations:
- Register for 10DLC (see Technical Requirements below)
- Follow carrier-specific policies
- Maintain acceptable spam complaint rates
- Use approved content practices
State-Specific Laws
Some states have additional restrictions.
State variations to check:
- California: Stricter consent requirements
- Florida: Auto-dialer restrictions
- Nevada: Specific political messaging rules
- Check your state attorney general website
Common state restrictions:
- Time-of-day sending limits
- Enhanced consent requirements
- Robocall/auto-dialer definitions
- State do-not-call lists
Political Campaign Exemptions
Good news: Political campaigns have some regulatory advantages.
First Amendment protections:
- Political speech has strong constitutional protection
- Less restrictive than commercial messaging
- But not unlimited—TCPA still applies
Exemptions campaigns may have:
- Exempt from federal Do Not Call Registry
- More flexible consent requirements for P2P
- Higher tolerance from carriers for political content
- But must still honor individual opt-out requests
Technical Requirements
Infrastructure and tools you need.
Texting Platform
You need specialized software, not just personal phones.
Platform must provide:
- P2P or A2P messaging capability
- Volunteer management tools (for P2P)
- Automatic opt-out processing
- Compliance features (audit trails, etc.)
- Analytics and reporting
- Reliable delivery (95%+ rate)
Platform selection criteria:
- Deliverability rate (most important)
- Opt-out model (isolated vs. shared)
- Pricing structure (transparent, no hidden fees)
- Integration with your CRM
- Support quality and availability
Learn more:
10DLC Registration
Required for high-volume texting with 10-digit phone numbers.
What you need:
- Campaign organization's legal business information
- EIN (Employer Identification Number)
- Physical business address
- Campaign website
- Use case description
Registration process:
- Register brand with The Campaign Registry (TCR)
- Register campaign use case
- Pay registration fee ($4-$15 per campaign)
- Wait for carrier approval (24-48 hours to 2 weeks)
Once approved:
- Higher message throughput allowed
- Better deliverability
- Lower spam filtering risk
- Can send thousands of messages per day
Good platforms handle this for you—they guide you through registration and manage the technical details.
Learn more: 10DLC registration guide
Phone Numbers
You need phone numbers to send from.
10-digit local numbers:
- Standard phone numbers (like 555-123-4567)
- Appear as normal mobile numbers to voters
- Required for P2P texting
- Need multiple numbers for high volume
How many numbers needed:
- Small campaign (under 10,000 messages): 1-3 numbers
- Medium campaign (10,000-100,000 messages): 3-10 numbers
- Large campaign (100,000+ messages): 10-50+ numbers
- Platform manages this for you
Short codes (generally not recommended for political):
- 5-6 digit numbers (like 12345)
- Expensive ($500-$1,000+ per month)
- Long approval process (8-12 weeks)
- Appear less personal to voters
Contact Lists
You need voter contact information.
Required data:
- Phone numbers (mobile, not landline)
- First name (minimum for personalization)
- Additional helpful data: Last name, city, zip code, district
List sources:
- State voter registration files (available for purchase)
- Previous supporter lists (donors, volunteers, petition signers)
- Event attendees
- Social media followers who opted in
- Purchased data from vendors
List quality matters:
- Verify mobile numbers (not landlines)
- Remove duplicates
- Validate format (10 digits, correct area codes)
- Segment by priority (high-value vs. low-priority contacts)
Learn more: Importance of accurate voter lists
Internet Access
Platform is web-based, so volunteers need internet.
Requirements:
- Broadband or mobile data connection
- Sufficient speed for real-time messaging
- Reliable connection (not spotty WiFi)
Device requirements:
- Computer, tablet, or smartphone
- Modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
- No special software installation needed
Resource Requirements
People, time, and budget you need.
Human Resources
Campaign staff needs:
- Campaign manager or coordinator (oversees program)
- Texting program lead (manages volunteers, monitors quality)
- Staff time: 5-15 hours per week depending on scale
Volunteer needs (for P2P):
- Small campaign: 5-20 volunteers
- Medium campaign: 20-100 volunteers
- Large campaign: 100-1,000+ volunteers
Volunteer time commitment:
- Training: 15-30 minutes
- Texting shifts: 1-3 hours per session
- Frequency: Weekly or as needed for GOTV
Skills required:
- Staff: Basic technical proficiency, campaign knowledge
- Volunteers: Can use a web browser, willing to have conversations
Learn more: Scaling your volunteer texting team
Time Requirements
Setup phase (before first message):
- Platform selection and setup: 2-8 hours
- 10DLC registration: 24-48 hours (mostly waiting)
- Contact list preparation: 2-10 hours
- Volunteer recruitment: Ongoing
- Volunteer training: 15-30 minutes per volunteer
- Message template creation: 2-5 hours
Ongoing operations:
- Campaign management: 5-15 hours per week
- Volunteer coordination: 3-10 hours per week
- Message creation/optimization: 2-5 hours per week
- Data analysis: 2-5 hours per week
GOTV intensive period:
- Can require 20-40 hours per week in final days
- More volunteer shifts
- Real-time monitoring and support
Budget Requirements
Platform costs:
- Per-message fees: $0.01-$0.03 per outbound message
- Inbound reply fees: $0.01-$0.02 per message
- Platform fees: $0-$500+ per month (varies by platform)
- Setup fees: $0-$1,000+ (avoid platforms with high setup costs)
10DLC registration:
- One-time fee: $4-$15 per campaign
- Some platforms include this, others charge separately
Phone number costs:
- Typically $1-$5 per number per month
- Usually included in platform pricing
Contact list acquisition:
- Voter file purchase: $0.01-$0.10 per record
- One-time cost unless refreshing
- Free if using existing supporter lists
Sample campaign budgets:
Small local campaign (10,000 messages):
- Platform costs: $150-$300
- 10DLC: $15
- Total: $165-$315
Medium state legislative (50,000 messages):
- Platform costs: $750-$1,500
- 10DLC: $15
- Voter file: $500-$1,000
- Total: $1,265-$2,515
Large congressional campaign (500,000 messages):
- Platform costs: $7,500-$15,000
- 10DLC: $15
- Voter file: $2,000-$5,000
- Total: $9,515-$20,015
Learn more: P2P texting pricing guide
Operational Requirements
Systems and processes you need.
Message Templates
Pre-written messages for volunteers to send.
Required templates:
- Initial outreach message
- GOTV reminder message
- Fundraising ask message
- Volunteer recruitment message
Template requirements:
- Include sender identification
- Include opt-out instructions
- Keep under 160 characters (or clearly note it's multi-message)
- Personalization merge fields (
{FirstName}, etc.) - Clear call-to-action
Response templates:
- Answers to frequently asked questions
- Issue-specific talking points
- Links to resources (polling locations, donation page, etc.)
- Escalation procedures for complex questions
Learn more:
Training Materials
Resources to onboard volunteers quickly.
Must-have training content:
- Platform tutorial (how to use the system)
- Messaging guidelines (dos and don'ts)
- Response handling (how to answer common questions)
- Compliance rules (opt-out processing, timing, etc.)
Training formats:
- Video tutorials (10-15 minutes)
- Written guides (quick reference)
- Practice session (send test messages)
- FAQ document
Delivery methods:
- Self-service (volunteers train themselves)
- Group training sessions (Zoom or in-person)
- One-on-one coaching for new volunteers
Quality Control Systems
Ensure volunteers send appropriate messages.
Monitoring tools:
- Admin dashboard to view all conversations
- Flag system for concerning messages
- Sample review of volunteer messages
- Real-time alerts for problems
Quality standards:
- Professional, respectful tone
- Accurate information
- Appropriate persuasion (not aggressive)
- Prompt response to replies
Intervention procedures:
- Correct volunteer mistakes quickly
- Provide coaching when needed
- Remove volunteers who don't meet standards
- Document issues for improvement
Support Infrastructure
Help volunteers when they need it.
Volunteer support methods:
- Real-time chat (during texting shifts)
- Email support (for non-urgent questions)
- Phone support (for urgent issues)
- Escalation to campaign staff
Campaign manager support:
- Platform technical support
- Delivery issue troubleshooting
- Compliance questions
- Strategy consultation
Pre-Launch Checklist
Use this checklist before sending first campaign message:
Legal and Compliance
- ☐ Understand TCPA requirements
- ☐ Review state-specific laws
- ☐ Opt-out language in all message templates
- ☐ Opt-out processing system tested
- ☐ Audit trail and record-keeping system in place
Technical Setup
- ☐ Texting platform selected and set up
- ☐ 10DLC registration completed and approved
- ☐ Phone numbers provisioned
- ☐ Contact lists uploaded and validated
- ☐ Opt-out suppression list applied
- ☐ Test messages sent and received successfully
Resources Assembled
- ☐ Campaign staff assigned and trained
- ☐ Volunteers recruited
- ☐ Budget allocated and approved
- ☐ Timeline established
Operational Systems
- ☐ Message templates created and reviewed
- ☐ Response templates prepared
- ☐ Training materials developed
- ☐ Quality control process established
- ☐ Support systems ready
Testing Complete
- ☐ Send test messages to campaign staff
- ☐ Practice volunteer training with test group
- ☐ Test opt-out processing
- ☐ Verify delivery rates
- ☐ Test response handling workflow
Common Missing Requirements (Don't Skip These)
Many campaigns forget these important items:
Timezone management:
- Set sending windows for voter's timezone, not yours
- Platform should handle this automatically
Reply volume planning:
- Expect 15-25% response rate
- Ensure enough volunteers to handle replies
- Plan for response time expectations
Backup volunteer pool:
- Some volunteers will flake
- Recruit 20-30% more than you need
- Have replacement process ready
Message variation:
- Don't send identical message to everyone
- Create segments with tailored messages
- A/B test different approaches
Analytics setup:
- Decide what success metrics matter
- Set up tracking before launch
- Plan how you'll use data to optimize
Learn more: Analytics and key metrics
Requirements by Campaign Type
Different campaigns have different needs.
Local Campaigns (City Council, School Board)
Minimum requirements:
- P2P texting platform (no need for A2P)
- 5-20 volunteers
- 1-3 phone numbers
- Basic contact list (5,000-50,000 contacts)
- Budget: $500-$5,000
Can skip:
- Enterprise features
- Complex CRM integration
- Large volunteer management infrastructure
State Legislative Campaigns
Requirements:
- P2P platform with CRM integration
- 20-100 volunteers
- 5-15 phone numbers
- Quality voter file (20,000-200,000 contacts)
- Budget: $2,000-$15,000
Important additions:
- Voter file integration
- Segmentation by district
- Coordinated multi-channel outreach
Congressional and Statewide Campaigns
Requirements:
- Enterprise P2P platform
- 100-1,000+ volunteers
- 20-50+ phone numbers
- Comprehensive voter file (100,000-2,000,000+ contacts)
- Budget: $10,000-$100,000+
Essential features:
- Advanced analytics
- Multi-team coordination
- Dedicated support
- High-volume infrastructure
Getting Started: First Steps
Week 1-2: Planning and setup
- Select texting platform (research and demo)
- Begin 10DLC registration process
- Start recruiting volunteers
- Acquire or prepare contact lists
Week 3: Training and testing 5. Train initial volunteer group 6. Create and test message templates 7. Send test campaign to staff and test volunteers 8. Refine processes based on testing
Week 4: Launch 9. Launch first real campaign 10. Monitor closely for issues 11. Provide real-time support to volunteers 12. Collect data and optimize
Ongoing: Optimize and scale
- Recruit more volunteers as needed
- Improve messages based on response data
- Expand contact lists
- Coordinate with other campaign activities
The Bottom Line
Political campaign texting requirements:
Legal:
- TCPA compliance (opt-out processing, identification, timing)
- FCC regulations (carrier rules, 10DLC)
- State-specific laws (varies by location)
Technical:
- P2P or A2P texting platform
- 10DLC registration
- Phone numbers
- Contact lists
Resources:
- Campaign staff (5-15 hours/week)
- Volunteers (5-1,000+ depending on scale)
- Budget ($500-$100,000+ depending on scale)
Operational:
- Message templates
- Training materials
- Quality control systems
- Support infrastructure
Most campaigns can get started within 2-4 weeks if they prioritize setup, use a good platform that handles technical complexity, and recruit volunteers early.
The key is choosing a platform that handles compliance automatically, provides volunteer-friendly tools, and offers responsive support—so you can focus on messaging and campaign strategy rather than technical details.
Ready to meet all requirements easily? Get started with Political Comms — we handle 10DLC registration, provide automatic compliance, and guide you through every requirement.
Questions about what you need? Contact our team — we'll help you understand exactly what's required for your specific campaign.