To text voters in a Missouri local race, you need three things in place. First, written permission from each person you text, with the date recorded. Second, a campaign committee that can pass Campaign Verify, which means a 527 committee with an EIN and a filing that an election authority has published online. Third, a texting account with a registered number. Missouri adds a step that many candidates miss: many local candidates are not required to form a committee at all, and a candidate with no committee cannot be verified.
This how-to covers each step in order, with the Missouri details that affect it. For the rest of the campaign, from filing on December 15, 2026 to Election Day on April 6, 2027, see our guide to running for local office in Missouri.
Step 1: Collect written permission before you text anyone
The standard for campaign texting is prior express written consent: the person has agreed in writing, before you text them, to receive your campaign's texts. In practice, that means:
- Ask at every conversation. At the door, at events and on your website, ask supporters whether you may text them, and record their answer in writing with the date and where you collected it.
- Make sign-up sheets say so plainly. A sign-in sheet counts as consent only if it says plainly that the person agrees to receive texts, and the date is recorded.
- Do not text your voter list. The list of registered voters from your election authority is not a list of people who agreed to hear from you. Never text everyone on a voter list.
- Do not text petition signers by default. In the City of St. Louis and in some districts, candidates collect signatures on a petition. A petition signature is not permission to text.
Keep your records. If someone asks why they received your message, you should be able to show when and how they agreed.
Step 2: Make sure you have a committee that can be verified
What Campaign Verify is
Campaign Verify is a check that confirms to the carriers (the mobile phone companies) that you are a real candidate or political committee. The carriers require it for political texting. It costs $95 per two-year cycle.
To be verified, you need:
- A 527 committee. 527 is the tax status of a political committee, from Section 527 of the federal tax code.
- An EIN, which is the committee's federal tax ID number from the IRS.
- A filing published online by an election authority, which Campaign Verify checks your committee against.
Candidates with no committee, and sole proprietors, are not eligible.
The Missouri committee question
Most Missouri local candidates do not have to form a committee if they stay at $1,000 or less in total and $325 or less per contributor (RSMo 130.016.6). In cities over 100,000, the line is $500, with a sworn exemption statement filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission (RSMo 130.016.1).
That is useful for small campaigns, but it means many Missouri candidates have no committee on file and therefore cannot be verified. If texting is part of your plan, decide early whether you will have a committee, and ask the Missouri Ethics Commission if you are unsure what forming one would involve. Our post on campaign committees for Missouri local candidates explains the thresholds, the 20-day statement of organization and the reports that follow.
Confirm your filing can be seen online
Missouri local committees may register locally or with the Missouri Ethics Commission, depending on the office. Whether a given filing is published online varies. Before you request Campaign Verify:
- Search for your committee's filing on the website of the office where you filed it.
- If you can view it online, note the exact committee name and contact details shown.
- If you cannot find it online, contact Campaign Verify Support and ask how they can verify your committee before you pay.
We cannot promise that every Missouri local committee will be eligible. Campaign Verify makes that decision.
Check the contact details on the filing
Campaign Verify sends a PIN (a code that confirms you control the committee) only to the contact information on your published filing. By email or text it arrives quickly; by mail it takes 5 to 10 business days. If your filing lists an old email or a phone nobody answers, update the filing first.
Request on or after November 15, 2026
Requests made before November 15, 2026 expire on January 31, 2027, which is before the April election. Requests made on or after November 15, 2026 last to January 31, 2029. For an April 6, 2027 race, request on or after November 15.
Step 3: Set up CampaignCNX+
Once your committee is on file and you have its EIN, you can set up your texting account.
- Open your account. Every new account includes 100 free SMS. Nothing sends until you buy a number, which is $5 a month.
- Enter your committee details exactly as they appear on your published filing. We guide you through the Campaign Verify request so the details match.
- Let us file your carrier registration. CampaignCNX+ files your registration for you, on 10DLC (the carrier registration for texting from a local-style number) or toll-free. Carrier approval follows once your Campaign Verify token is issued.
- Import your opted-in contacts. Add only the people who gave written permission. Use tags, groups and custom fields to sort them, for example by ward, by school, or by role such as "volunteer" or "yard sign." Sends go to groups. For contacts added by texting START or through the API, the consent date and source are recorded automatically.
- Add your team. Team members can be added with roles (admin, manager or staffer). Replies land in a shared two-way inbox the team works together.
- Schedule within quiet hours. Messages send only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. Never schedule a text earlier or later.
STOP replies are handled automatically, so anyone who opts out is not texted again.
What it costs
Pay-as-you-go is $0.06 per SMS and $0.15 per MMS. Plans start at $55 a month with 1,000 SMS (Basic), and $225 a month with 5,000 SMS (Pro). Depending on the plan, an SMS costs $0.035 to $0.06, and pay-as-you-go is cheaper below about 900 messages a month. An MMS (a message with a picture) uses three credits. Our guide to political texting covers registration and consent in more detail.
Step 4: Write messages that follow Missouri's rules
Keep first messages short and include opt-out language
Keep each text under 160 characters, and include "Reply STOP to opt out" in the first message you send to each person. For example:
Hi Dana, it's Chris Ruiz, running for school board. Thanks for signing up at the library. I'll keep you posted. Reply STOP to opt out
Fundraising texts need a disclaimer
Since August 28, 2026, every request for contributions must carry a disclaimer naming the committee or committees that benefit and the percentage split (RSMo 130.031.13). As written, the rule applies to every solicitation, so put the disclaimer in a fundraising text itself. Recurring contributions require affirmative consent and receipts, and must end after the election (RSMo 130.031.14).
Do not ask voters to request absentee applications
No one may solicit a voter to obtain an absentee application, and applications may not be prefilled (RSMo 115.279.2). You can tell supporters when no-excuse in-person absentee voting is open, which for April 6, 2027 runs from March 23 to April 5 (computed from RSMo 115.277.1). Do not text people asking them to apply for an absentee ballot.
For more ready-to-use wording, see our campaign text templates for local races.
When to text in a Missouri April race
Texts work best when there is something for the reader to do:
- Before March 10, 2027, the last day to register to vote.
- On March 23, 2027, when no-excuse in-person absentee voting opens.
- On April 6, 2027, Election Day, with one reminder in the morning.
Between those dates, use texts to recruit and schedule volunteers rather than to repeat the same message to voters.
Frequently asked questions
Can I text people from the county's voter list?
No. A voter list is not consent. Text only people who gave written permission, with the date recorded.
I am under the $1,000 threshold and have no committee. Can I still text as a campaign?
Not as a verified campaign. Campaign Verify requires a committee with an EIN and a published filing. Ask the Missouri Ethics Commission what forming a committee would involve.
My committee filed locally and I cannot find the filing online. What should I do?
Contact Campaign Verify Support before you pay, and ask how they can verify your committee.
When should I request Campaign Verify?
On or after November 15, 2026, so your verification lasts to January 31, 2029 and covers the April 6, 2027 election.
Get your account ready
Open your account, import your opted-in supporters, and choose your number when your committee is ready. 100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month.