A referendum committee can text its supporters the same way a candidate can, if it meets three conditions. First, the texts come from the citizen committee, not the school district or park district. Second, every person you text has agreed to receive texts, in writing, with the date recorded. Third, the committee is set up to send political texts, which means carrier registration and, for most committees, Campaign Verify. Carrier registration is the approval the phone companies (such as AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile) require before they deliver texts from a campaign or business number. Campaign Verify is the service those carriers use to confirm that a political sender is a real campaign or committee. When all three conditions are met, texting is the least expensive way to remind every supporter that early voting is open and that April 6 is Election Day.
The timing for an April 6, 2027 question is straightforward. Build your opted-in list (people who have agreed in writing to receive texts) from now through February, register and verify after November 15, 2026 so your verification lasts through the election, and send most of your texts from the opening of early voting on February 25 (or March 12 where a February primary ran) to Election Day. The steps below cover each piece. For the full picture of Illinois ballot questions, including petitions and back-door referendums, see the guide to Illinois ballot questions. Our guide to running for local office in Illinois explains the $5,000 committee threshold, which applies to a public question as well as to a candidate.
Step 1: Make sure the right group is texting
When a school board or park board puts a funding question on the ballot, the board cannot campaign for it with public money. Public funds may not be used to urge a vote for or against a question, though the public body may share factual information. For that reason, the district's own parent messaging system cannot be used for anything that says "vote yes." Ask your attorney about the rules for public bodies before any district staff, lists or tools are involved.
Advocacy texts come from a separate citizen committee. That committee needs its own account, its own number and its own list.
Step 2: Know where your committee stands on campaign finance
Groups or individuals who raise or spend more than $5,000 in any 12-month period in support of or in opposition to a public question generally must file a Statement of Organization (Form D-1) with the State Board of Elections (10 ILCS 5/9-3). In-kind contributions count. The D-1 is due within 10 business days of crossing $5,000, or within 2 business days in the 30 days before an election. A committee may register earlier, but once registered it keeps filing reports until it files a final report.
This matters for texting because Campaign Verify, covered in Step 3, requires an election-authority filing. A group below $5,000 with no D-1 on file does not have that filing yet.
Step 3: Get verified for political texting
Political texting on 10DLC, toll-free and short code numbers requires Campaign Verify for candidates, parties, PACs and committees registered with the FEC or a state, local or tribal election authority. A 10DLC number is a standard local phone number registered with the carriers for business or campaign texting, and a short code is a five- or six-digit number used by some high-volume senders. Verification requires the following:
- A published election-authority filing, such as your D-1 with the State Board of Elections, and an EIN (the federal tax ID number the IRS issues).
- $95 per two-year cycle.
- A PIN sent only to the contact information on your filing. By email or text it arrives quickly; by mail it takes 5 to 10 business days.
Timing matters this year. Requests made before November 15, 2026 expire January 31, 2027, which is two months before an April 6 election. Requests made on or after November 15, 2026 last to January 31, 2029. For a spring referendum, request on or after November 15. Our post on Campaign Verify for local candidates covers the process in detail, and Campaign Verify can confirm whether your committee qualifies.
Step 4: Build an opted-in list
This step determines whether your texts help your campaign or draw complaints.
A petition sheet or sign-up sheet counts as consent to receive texts only if the sheet says so plainly and the date is recorded. If your committee collected petition signatures, those signatures are not consent. You cannot text everyone who signed a petition, and you cannot text everyone on a voter list. Our post on texting petition signers explains why.
Good places to collect consent:
- At the door. Volunteers carry a supporter sheet with a consent line at the top.
- At events. Sign-up tables at school concerts, park programs and community meetings, where allowed.
- Online. A sign-up form on the committee's website with the same consent language.
A consent line that works:
By signing, I agree to receive text messages from [Committee Name] about the [question] on the April 6, 2027 ballot. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP at any time to opt out.
Each line on the sheet should have the person's name, cell number, a consent check or initials, and the date.
Step 5: Set up your account and send
Set up CampaignCNX+ for your committee. Create the account in the committee's name and buy your number. CampaignCNX+ then files your carrier registration (10DLC or toll-free) and walks you through Campaign Verify. New accounts include 100 free SMS (standard text messages) to start. Your number is $5 a month, and no messages go out until the number is bought. Add your opted-in supporters, and tag them or put them in a group. Messages are sent to groups, so a "supporters" group keeps everyone else off the list. Use a custom field to record where and when each person opted in, and use quiet-hours scheduling so texts go out only at reasonable times. STOP replies are handled automatically, so anyone who opts out is not texted again. Replies arrive in a two-way inbox. You can add team members with roles (admin, manager, staffer), so several volunteers can answer questions in the shared inbox without passing a phone around.
For a list of a few hundred supporters, pay-as-you-go at $0.06 per SMS is often enough. Example only: 800 supporters receiving six texts each over the campaign is 4,800 messages, about $288 at pay-as-you-go rates. Basic is $55 a month with 1,000 SMS, and Pro is $225 a month with 5,000 SMS ($0.045 each after that). MMS (a text message that includes an image), such as a picture of the ballot question or a polling place map, is $0.15 each.
For Illinois campaigns, there is also a launch offer through January 31, 2027: 1,000 free texts with a month of Pro, plus white-glove setup, in which we walk you through Campaign Verify and registration, for $149 (normally $299).
Step 6: Plan your texts around the dates
Keep it to a handful of useful messages. Every text should give the supporter something to do.
| When | Text |
|---|---|
| When they sign up | Welcome and confirm the opt-in |
| Week of February 22 | Early voting opens February 25 |
| Early March | Where and when to vote early |
| Late March | Reminder for supporters who have not voted |
| April 5 | Tomorrow is Election Day |
| April 6 | Polls are open |
If a February primary ran in your area, early voting for April 6 may open March 12 instead. Confirm with your election authority and adjust.
Sample texts
Each one is under 160 characters. The first message includes opt-out language.
Welcome:
[Committee]: Thanks for signing up for updates on the April 6 [question]. We'll text a few reminders. Reply STOP to opt out.
Early voting opens:
[Committee]: Early voting for the April 6 election opens Feb 25. The [question] is on your ballot. Find your early voting site: [short link]
Where to vote:
[Committee]: You can vote early at [location], [hours]. Questions about the [question]? Just reply.
Reminder:
[Committee]: Haven't voted yet? Early voting runs through [date]. Or vote at your polling place Apr 6. Thanks for supporting [question].
Day before:
[Committee]: Tomorrow, April 6, is Election Day. Polls are open [hours]. Your vote on the [question] counts. Reply if you need your polling place.
Election Day:
[Committee]: Polls are open until [time] today. If you've already voted, thank you. If not, there's still time.
Replace the bracketed text, and check your final versions for length. Keep the committee's name at the start so supporters always know who is texting.
Step 7: Answer replies like a neighbor
Answering replies is one of the main ways a committee builds trust with its supporters. Supporters reply with questions: "What does this cost me?" "Where do I vote?" "Is this the same as last time?" Have two or three volunteers watch the inbox in the evenings, answer with the same facts your canvassers use, and point people to the election authority for polling place and ballot questions.
If someone replies angrily, answer once, politely, and do not argue. If they reply STOP, they are removed automatically. Keep your signed sheets on file as the record of each person's consent.
Mistakes to avoid
- Texting from district systems. Advocacy must come from the committee.
- Verifying too early. A Campaign Verify request before November 15, 2026 expires January 31, 2027.
- Assuming petition signers opted in. They did not, unless the sheet said so plainly with a date.
- Sending too much. Six useful texts will serve supporters better than twenty reminders.
Start building your list
The texts you send at the end of the campaign are useful only if you build the opted-in list now. Start your CampaignCNX+ account, set up your committee's number, and begin collecting consent at every door and event. For more on how CampaignCNX+ supports Illinois campaigns and committees, see political texting in Illinois.