CampaignCNX+ supports precinct committeepersons by giving their party organization one verified texting account. The township or county party holds the account, registers the number, and sends to supporters who opted in. Committeepersons then answer the replies from their own precincts in the shared two-way inbox, so each voter still hears from the neighbor who knocks on their door.
That setup is not just convenient. It is the one that fits the rules. Campaign Verify, the vetting step carriers require for political texting, is open to a party organization with an EIN and a published filing. An individual committeeperson texting personally is not eligible. So the organization sends, and committeepersons do what they do best: know their precinct and talk to the people in it.
If you are new to how local races and petitions work in Illinois, our guide to running for local office in Illinois covers the dates and rules this post builds on.
Why committeepersons are worth building around
Outside Cook County, each party's primary voters elect one precinct committeeperson per precinct every two years (10 ILCS 5/7-8). In Cook County, Chicago voters elect a ward committeeperson and suburban Cook voters elect a township committeeperson, every four years. Together, they make up the party's county central committee.
Committeepersons are the people who know which doors open, which neighbors moved, and who has helped before. Most county parties also ask them to recruit election judges, because the county central committee chairs furnish the lists of judges for each precinct, and the chair is asked to list people who live in the precinct where possible (10 ILCS 5/13-1).
Their vote in the county central committee is also weighted by turnout. Each precinct committeeperson has one vote for each ballot cast in their precinct by their party's primary voters at the primary where they were elected (10 ILCS 5/7-8). A precinct that turns out more of its party's primary voters gives its committeeperson a bigger voice. Staying in touch with supporters between elections is part of how a committeeperson keeps that turnout.
Texting is a natural fit for that kind of steady, local contact. The question is how to do it properly.
The model: the organization sends, committeepersons reply
Here is how most party organizations set this up with CampaignCNX+:
- The party organization opens the account. A township or county party committee with an EIN and a published filing can be verified with Campaign Verify. It costs $95 per two-year cycle.
- We file carrier registration for the organization's number, on 10DLC or toll-free, and guide the organization through Campaign Verify.
- Committeepersons collect opt-ins in their precincts, on sheets that say plainly that the person agrees to receive texts from the organization, with the date recorded.
- The organization loads only opted-in contacts, with each contact's precinct noted, and sends.
- Replies come into the two-way inbox, and committeepersons work the replies from their own precincts.
Voters get one consistent sender name, the organization's. They still get answers from someone who knows their street.
For more on what committeepersons can and cannot send, and why the account belongs to the organization, read texting your precinct: what a committeeperson can send, and from whose account.
What CampaignCNX+ handles
Carrier registration, filed for you
Political texting requires registration with the carriers. We file it for you, on 10DLC or toll-free, and walk the organization through Campaign Verify so the details match the published filing. Carrier approval takes days. Campaign Verify can take 1 to 2 weeks if the PIN comes by mail, so starting early helps.
A two-way inbox
Texts are conversations. When a voter replies with "Where do I vote?" or "Can I get a yard sign?", the reply lands in the inbox where someone can answer it. The organization decides who works replies, and many have committeepersons answer the people from their own precinct.
Automatic STOP handling
When someone replies STOP, they are opted out. Nobody has to remember to remove them by hand, and they will not get the next message.
Quiet-hours scheduling
You can schedule a send for the morning instead of having it go out late at night. It is a small courtesy that keeps opt-outs down.
SMS and MMS
Send plain text messages, or MMS when a picture helps, such as a sample ballot graphic your party has approved or a map to an event.
What the organization might send
Messages from a party organization tend to fall into a few groups. Each first message to a new contact should include opt-out language.
Welcome, after someone signs up at the door:
Hi, this is the Elm Township Democrats. Thanks for signing up with your committeeperson, Dana. Reply STOP to opt out.
Event:
Elm Township Democrats: coffee with the county chair, Sat 10am, Elm Library. All welcome. Reply with questions.
Election judge recruitment:
Elm Township Democrats: we need election judges in Precinct 12 for April 6. Want details? Reply YES.
Early voting:
Early voting opens Feb 25. Find your nearest site at your county clerk's website, or reply here and Dana will help.
Keep the cadence modest. A handful of useful texts each season does more than a weekly stream.
Consent is the foundation
Party organizations have access to a lot of names: petition signers, voter files, event sign-ins. None of those, on their own, is permission to text.
A petition sheet or sign-in sheet counts as consent to receive texts only if the sheet says so plainly and the date is recorded. That means you cannot text everyone who signed a petition, and you cannot text a voter list. You can text the people who said yes.
A simple consent line works:
By writing my cell number below, I agree to receive text messages from the Elm Township Democrats. Msg and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out.
Give committeepersons a stack of these sheets for every door they knock. Over a cycle, the opted-in list grows precinct by precinct.
What it costs
Most organizations start small and grow into a plan:
- Pay as you go: $0.06 per SMS and $0.15 per MMS.
- Basic: $55 a month with 1,000 SMS.
- Pro: $225 a month with 5,000 SMS, and $0.045 per SMS after that.
- Enterprise: $695 a month with 20,000 SMS, for larger county organizations.
To start, 100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month. Nothing sends until the number is bought.
For Illinois organizations: through January 31, 2027, we are offering 1,000 free texts with a month of Pro, plus our white-glove setup for $149 (normally $299). White-glove setup means we walk the organization through Campaign Verify and registration.
Timing for the 2027 elections
Campaign Verify requests made before November 15, 2026 expire January 31, 2027. Requests made on or after November 15, 2026 last to January 31, 2029. For a party organization that plans to text through the 2027 consolidated elections and the 2028 cycle, filing on or after November 15 covers both.
The 2027 calendar has two election dates, February 23 and April 6. Early voting opens January 14 for the February election and February 25 for April (or March 12 where a February primary ran). Starting setup in November leaves time for verification and carrier approval before either.
You can see how we work with Illinois campaigns and party organizations on our Illinois political texting page.
A practical first month
For a township or county organization getting started:
- Week 1: confirm your EIN and the contact details on your published filing. Open your account.
- Week 2: start Campaign Verify (on or after November 15 if you can). Print consent sheets for committeepersons.
- Week 3: while you wait on the PIN and carrier approval, collect opt-ins and enter them by precinct.
- Week 4: send a short welcome to your opted-in list, and have committeepersons watch the inbox for replies from their precincts.
Get your organization set up
Open the account in the organization's name, and we will handle the carrier registration and walk you through Campaign Verify.