Texting vs. Calling: Why Your Local Campaign Needs Both (But Loves Texting)

If you're running for city council, school board, or another local office, you face a fundamental question: How do I actually reach voters?

For decades, the answer was simple: phone calls and door-knocking. But today, there's a third option that's faster, cheaper, and often more effective—especially for small campaigns: text messaging.

This guide breaks down the honest comparison between texting and calling for local campaigns, so you can decide how to allocate your limited time and volunteers.

The Short Answer: You Need Both

Let's get this out of the way: The best campaigns use both texting and calling, strategically.

But if you're choosing where to start—or where to focus most of your effort—texting usually wins for local campaigns.

Here's why.

Texting vs. Calling: The Head-to-Head Comparison

Why Texting Wins for Most Local Campaigns

1. People Actually See Your Message

The biggest problem with phone calls? Nobody answers.

Unknown numbers go straight to voicemail. Even when people do answer, they're often rushed, distracted, or annoyed.

Text messages, on the other hand:

• Get opened 98% of the time within minutes
• Don't interrupt what the voter is doing
• Give them time to think and respond on their schedule

For a small local campaign, you can't afford to have 70% of your outreach attempts go unanswered. Texting ensures your message actually reaches voters.

2. Texting Is Faster (Way Faster)

A trained volunteer can make 15-30 phone calls per hour, accounting for:

• Dialing and waiting for an answer
• Leaving voicemails
• Having conversations
• Logging responses

That same volunteer can send 60-120 text messages per hour using a peer-to-peer texting platform.

Why the difference?

• No waiting for someone to pick up
• No leaving voicemails
• Replies come in when voters have time (you're not stuck on the phone)
• Multiple conversations can happen simultaneously

For a campaign with 5,000 voters to reach, this makes a massive difference.

3. Volunteers Prefer Texting

Let's be honest: Most people hate making phone calls, especially to strangers.

Phone banking requires:

• A quiet space
• Confidence speaking to strangers
• Ability to handle objections on the spot
• Thick skin for hang-ups and rude responses

Text messaging is easier:

• Volunteers can do it from home, on their couch
• They use pre-written message templates (less pressure)
• Replies aren't immediate, so there's time to think
• Feels less confrontational

For local campaigns that rely on volunteer friends and family (not professional organizers), texting is simply more accessible.

4. Texting Costs Almost Nothing

Phone calls are technically "free" if you have volunteers using their own phones. But in practice:

• Phone banking tools (like CallHub or ThruTalk) charge per minute
• You need a dedicated phone line if you're calling from a campaign number
• Training and management take time

Texting is incredibly affordable:

• Typical cost: $0.015-$0.03 per message
• Texting 5,000 voters costs $75-$150
• No monthly fees, no per-minute charges with the right platform

Even for the smallest local campaign, texting is easily within budget.

When Phone Calls Are Better

Texting isn't always the right choice. Here's when you should use phone calls instead:

1. When You Need to Persuade

Text messages are great for short, direct communication: reminders, announcements, quick questions.

But if you need to have a detailed, persuasive conversation with an undecided voter, a phone call (or better yet, a door knock) is more effective.

Why?

• You can hear tone, build rapport, and read reactions
• You can respond to specific concerns in real-time
• Complex issues are easier to explain verbally

Best approach: Use texting to identify undecided voters, then follow up with calls to persuade them.

2. When Targeting Older Voters

Voters over 65 are:

• More likely to answer phone calls
• Less comfortable with text messaging
• More responsive to personal phone conversations

If your district skews older, you'll want a strong phone program alongside texting.

3. When You Have Experienced Volunteers

If you have a core team of confident, trained volunteers who enjoy phone banking, they can be incredibly effective.

Experienced callers can:

• Handle objections smoothly
• Persuade on the spot
• Build genuine rapport

But most local campaigns don't have this luxury. Most campaigns have well-meaning but inexperienced volunteers who find texting far easier.

The Best Strategy: Use Both Strategically

The smartest local campaigns use a layered approach:

Early Campaign (6+ Months Out): Texting

Goal: Build awareness, grow your contact list, identify supporters

Method: Send text messages introducing yourself and asking voters to sign up for updates, volunteer, or donate.

Why texting: You're reaching a broad universe. Speed and scale matter more than deep persuasion.

Mid-Campaign (3-6 Months Out): Texting + Limited Calling

Goal: Identify undecided voters, recruit volunteers, promote events

Method:

• Use texting for broad outreach and reminders
• Use calling to follow up with undecided voters identified through texts

Why both: You're narrowing your focus. Use texting to triage, then calling to persuade where it matters.

Final Weeks (GOTV): Heavy Texting + Targeted Calling

Goal: Turn out your voters on Election Day

Method:

• Send multiple text reminders (polling location, hours, urgency)
• Call high-value voters who haven't confirmed they've voted

Why texting: You need to reach thousands of voters in days. Texting is the only way to do it at scale. Calling is reserved for your most important targets.

Example: A City Council Campaign in Action

Let's say you're running for city council in a district with 15,000 voters. Your campaign has 10 volunteers and a budget of $500 for voter contact.

Texting-First Strategy:

• Text all 15,000 voters with an introduction: $225-$450
• Identify 3,000 supporters via replies
• Text those 3,000 supporters twice more (events, GOTV): $90-$180
• Total cost: $315-$630
• Total contacts: 21,000 text messages

Calling-First Strategy:

• Volunteers make 30 calls/hour × 10 volunteers × 20 hours = 6,000 calls
• Reach ~1,800 voters (30% answer rate)
• Total cost: $0 (volunteer time)
• Total contacts: 1,800 voters reached

The difference is stark. With the same resources, texting reaches 10x more voters.

Common Objections to Texting

"Isn't texting impersonal?"

Not if you do it right. Peer-to-peer texting platforms let you personalize messages with names, districts, and specific info. And when voters reply, they get a real human conversation.

It's far more personal than a robocall or a generic mailer.

"Don't people hate campaign texts?"

Some do. But the opt-out rate for well-run P2P campaigns is under 0.5%. Compare that to phone calls, where hang-ups and refusals are far more common.

The key: Send relevant, helpful messages—not spam.

"Can't I just post on social media instead?"

Social media is great for your existing supporters. But algorithms limit your reach—most voters will never see your posts.

Texting guarantees your message lands directly in front of voters.

How to Get Started with Texting

If you're convinced that texting should be part of your voter contact strategy, here's how to start:

1. Choose a platform designed for political campaigns. Don't try to do this from your personal phone. You need a peer-to-peer texting platform with compliance features, personalization, and analytics.

2. Build or buy a contact list. You need phone numbers. Sources include:

   • Voter file data (purchase from your state or county)
   • Event sign-ups
   • Website opt-ins
   • Door-knocking opt-ins

3. Write a simple first message. Keep it short, personal, and conversational. Include your name, what you're running for, and a clear call to action.

4. Recruit a few volunteers. Even 3-5 volunteers can send thousands of texts in a weekend.

5. Send, monitor, and adjust. Track your response rates and opt-outs. If something's not working, adjust your message or timing.

The Bottom Line

Texting and calling both have a place in local campaigns—but texting is usually the better starting point.

Why?

• Higher open rates (98% vs. 10-30%)
• Faster (60-120 contacts/hour vs. 15-30)
• Cheaper ($0.015-$0.03 per message)
• Easier for volunteers
• Better for broad reach

Use calling when:

• You need deep, persuasive conversations
• You're targeting older voters
• You have experienced, confident volunteers

Use texting when:

• You need to reach thousands of voters quickly
• You have limited volunteer capacity
• You want guaranteed message delivery
• You're working with first-time volunteers

For most city council, school board, and county-level campaigns, texting should be the foundation of your voter contact program, with strategic calling layered on top.

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Questions about which approach is right for your campaign? Contact our team—we'll help you build the right strategy.