If you are a precinct committeeperson, your precinct texts should come from your party organization's account, not your personal phone. Campaign Verify, the review step that the carriers (the phone companies, such as AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile) require for political texting, is available to a party organization (a township or county party committee) with an EIN (a federal tax ID number from the IRS) and a published filing. An individual committeeperson texting personally is not eligible. For that reason, the organization holds the account and sends the messages, and you answer the replies from your precinct.
The most important limit on what you send is consent. You can text people who opted in on a sheet that says plainly they agree to receive texts, with the date recorded. You cannot text everyone on a petition, a voter list, or a walk sheet simply because you have their name.
For the bigger picture of Illinois local races and the 2027 dates, see our guide to running for local office in Illinois.
Why the account belongs to the organization
Verification is tied to the committee, not the person
Campaign Verify is required for political texting from 10DLC numbers (standard local phone numbers registered with the carriers for business or campaign texting), toll-free numbers and short codes (five- or six-digit numbers used for high-volume texting). It applies to 527 candidates, parties, PACs and committees registered with an election authority. A 527 organization is a political group organized under Section 527 of the federal tax code. The checks are tied to a committee. The committee needs an EIN and a filing published by the election authority, and the PIN (the confirmation code) goes only to contact information on that filing.
A township or county party committee with an EIN and a filing is a 527 committee and can be verified. You, as an individual committeeperson, are not a committee. Sole proprietors and individuals texting personally are not eligible.
Precincts outlast any one committeeperson
There is a practical reason too. Under Illinois law, a vacancy exists when a precinct committeeperson stops living in the precinct, and they lose their rights and duties there even before a successor is named (10 ILCS 5/7-8). The vacancy is filled under your party's rules, usually through the county chair.
If the precinct's supporter list and conversation history are stored on one person's phone, they leave when that person moves. If they are kept in the organization's account, the next committeeperson can continue where the last one stopped.
One sender name voters recognize
When every committeeperson texts from a personal number, voters get messages from numbers they do not know. When the organization sends, voters see a consistent name, such as "Elm Township Democrats" or "Fox County Republicans," and over time they come to trust it.
Who you can text
The same rule applies no matter who sends the message:
- Yes: people who opted in on a sheet, form or sign-up that says plainly they agree to receive texts from the organization, with the date recorded.
- No: everyone who signed a nominating petition. A petition signature supports a candidate's place on the ballot. It is not consent to receive texts.
- No: a voter file or walk list (a list of households to visit). Having a phone number is not the same as having permission.
- No: a list someone passed along from another campaign, unless the consent on it clearly covers your organization. When in doubt, ask an election attorney.
A petition sheet or sign-in sheet counts as consent only if it says so plainly and the date is recorded. If you want to collect opt-ins while circulating petitions, use a separate supporter sheet and leave the official petition form untouched.
A consent line can be short:
By writing my cell number below, I agree to receive text messages from the Elm Township [Party]. Msg and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out.
What committeepersons can send
Within the organization's account, the work divides into two roles.
What the organization sends
Organization messages go out from the account to the supporters who opted in:
- Welcome messages to new sign-ups.
- Event notices: meetings, coffees, canvass days.
- Election dates: early voting openings and Election Day.
- Volunteer requests: election judges, poll watchers, door knockers.
What committeepersons handle
Committeepersons answer for their own precincts in the inbox:
- Answering replies from people in their precinct.
- Following up one to one when a supporter asks a question or offers help.
- Bringing in new opt-ins from the doors they knock.
- Suggesting precinct messages to the organization, such as a reminder about a polling place change.
This arrangement keeps the account consistent and within the rules, while each committeeperson remains the familiar contact for their neighbors.
Sample messages
Keep each one short, and include opt-out language on the first message a person receives.
First message after a door sign-up:
Hi, it's the Elm Township [Party]. Thanks for signing up with Dana, your committeeperson. Reply STOP to opt out.
Event:
Elm Township [Party]: precinct volunteer meeting Tues 7pm at the township hall. Reply YES if you can make it.
Committeeperson reply to a question (sent from the inbox):
Hi Mark, Dana here. Your polling place is the same as last spring. I can send the address if that helps.
Early voting:
Early voting for the April 6 election opens Feb 25 (Mar 12 where a Feb primary ran). Check your county clerk's site for sites.
Volunteer request:
We need election judges in Precinct 12 for April 6. Interested? Reply YES and Dana will follow up.
For a full recruiting sequence, see election judge recruitment by text: a template sequence for committeepersons.
What not to send
Agree on these limits before anyone uses the account:
- No texts to people who did not opt in, however friendly the message.
- No mass texts from personal phones to precinct lists. Sending them skips registration and puts the number at risk of being blocked.
- No messages that look like they come from an election official. Your organization is a party committee, not the county clerk. Point people to the election authority for official information.
- No late-night messages. Use quiet-hours scheduling.
- Never ignore a STOP. CampaignCNX+ handles STOP replies automatically, so an opted-out voter does not get the next message.
The federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act and carrier rules govern texting, and how they apply depends on the details. For anything outside the plain opt-in model above, talk to an election attorney.
Setting it up with CampaignCNX+
CampaignCNX+ is built for this kind of arrangement:
- Carrier registration filed for you, on 10DLC and toll-free, in the organization's name.
- Campaign Verify guidance, so the request matches the published filing.
- A two-way inbox where replies arrive and can be answered.
- Automatic STOP handling and quiet-hours scheduling.
Carrier approval takes days, and Campaign Verify can take 1 to 2 weeks if the PIN comes by mail. Requests made on or after November 15, 2026 last to January 31, 2029; requests before that expire January 31, 2027. For most organizations, starting on or after November 15 is the sensible plan.
Every account includes 100 free SMS, and your number is $5 a month. Plans for heavier use start at $55 a month for 1,000 SMS, or you can pay as you go at $0.06 per SMS.
For how we work with Illinois organizations specifically, see our Illinois political texting page.
A one-page summary for your committeepersons
Print this for the next central committee meeting:
- The organization holds the texting account. Do not text precinct lists from your personal phone.
- Only opted-in supporters get texts. The sheet must say so plainly and have a date.
- Petition signers and voter lists are not opted in.
- Collect opt-ins at the door on a separate supporter sheet.
- Watch the inbox for replies from your precinct and answer like a neighbor.
- Send precinct-specific message ideas to the organization.
Set up your organization's account
Open the account in the party organization's name, and we will file the carrier registration and guide you through Campaign Verify.