To text voters in a Wisconsin local race, you need three things in place. First, written permission from each person you text, given before you text them. Second, a registered campaign committee with an EIN (its federal tax ID number) that can pass Campaign Verify, the check that confirms to the mobile phone companies that you are a real campaign. Third, a registered texting number that sends only to people who agreed to hear from you, and only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.
One step is different in Wisconsin. Campaign Verify needs a filing published online by an election authority, and for the April 6, 2027 election, Wisconsin local candidates file their campaign registration on paper with the local clerk. Your registration may not be online. Check before you apply. This guide walks through consent, Campaign Verify and setup in order.
For the rest of the campaign, from nomination papers to Election Day, see our guide to running for local office in Wisconsin.
Step 1: Get written permission before you text
Base your texting on prior express written consent: each person has agreed in writing, before your first message, to receive campaign texts from you at that number. In practice:
- Use a sign-up sheet or form that says so plainly. For example: "Yes, text me updates from the Smith for Village Board campaign. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out." Include a line for the phone number and the date.
- Record the date and where the permission came from. Keep the paper sheets. In your texting account, note the source, such as "doors, December 12."
- Do not text people just because their number is on a list. A voter file, a purchased list or a list of your neighbors is not permission.
Nomination paper signers are not a texting list
Signing your nomination papers is not permission to receive texts. The nomination paper header is set by state law, and it asks only that your name be placed on the ballot. Do not text everyone who signed. Instead, carry a separate sign-up sheet while you circulate, and ask each signer whether they would also like campaign updates by text.
A note on the FCC rule you may have heard about
You may read that the FCC requires consent to be given to one sender at a time. That rule never took effect. A federal appeals court vacated it on January 24, 2025, and the FCC removed it in August 2025. Written consent for your own campaign, recorded with a date, remains the standard to follow.
Step 2: Register your committee and get an EIN
Campaign Verify is available to 527 organizations, which means political committees with that federal tax status, registered with an election authority. Candidates with no committee, and sole proprietors, are not eligible.
In Wisconsin, you register by filing a campaign registration statement (form CF-1) with your local filing officer: the municipal clerk for city, village and town offices, the county clerk for county offices, and the school district clerk for school board. Do this before you raise or spend money, and no later than 5 p.m. on Tuesday, January 5, 2027. Even a committee that claims the $2,500 exemption from reporting must register. Our explainer on campaign registration for Wisconsin local candidates covers the details.
Then get an EIN for the committee from the IRS. You need it for Campaign Verify.
Step 3: Confirm your filing is online, then request Campaign Verify
Check first
Campaign Verify checks your committee against a filing published online by an election authority, and it sends a PIN only to the contact information on that filing. Wisconsin local registrations go to the local filing officer through November 30, 2027. On December 1, 2027, filing moves to the Wisconsin Ethics Commission, but that change does not apply to this spring's election.
Before you pay for a Campaign Verify request:
- Ask your clerk whether your registration statement is posted online, and where.
- If it is online, check that the committee name, email, phone and mailing address are current.
- If it is not online, contact Campaign Verify Support and ask how they handle a locally filed registration that is not published online. Do not submit a request until you have their answer.
We cannot promise that any committee will be found eligible. That decision belongs to Campaign Verify.
Timing and cost
- Campaign Verify costs $95 per two-year cycle.
- A request made on or after November 15, 2026 lasts to January 31, 2029. A request made before that date expires January 31, 2027. Since Wisconsin circulation does not begin until December 1, most candidates can wait for the later date.
- The PIN arrives quickly by email or text, or in 5 to 10 business days by mail, depending on which contact details are on your filing.
Our post on Campaign Verify for local candidates covers the process in more depth.
Step 4: Set up your texting in CampaignCNX+
Once your committee is in place, set up the sending side.
- Open your account. Every new account includes 100 free SMS. Your number is $5 a month, and nothing sends until you buy it.
- Let us file the carrier registration. The carriers are the mobile phone companies, and they require a registration called 10DLC for campaign texting from a local-style number. CampaignCNX+ files it for you, on 10DLC or toll-free, and guides you through the Campaign Verify request so the details match your filing.
- Add your opted-in supporters. Use tags and groups to sort them, such as "doors," "volunteers" or "caucus." Record the consent date and source in a custom field. For contacts added through the API or who text START, CampaignCNX+ records the consent date and source.
- Add your team. Team members can be added with roles (admin, manager or staffer), and replies come into a shared inbox the team works together.
- Schedule within quiet hours. Texts send only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. Schedule your messages inside those hours.
- Let opt-outs take care of themselves. When someone replies STOP, CampaignCNX+ handles it automatically.
What it costs
SMS costs $0.035 to $0.06 per message depending on your plan. Pay-as-you-go is $0.06 per SMS and is the cheaper choice below about 900 messages a month. Basic is $55 a month with 1,000 SMS. An MMS (a message with a picture) uses three credits. Count texting toward your campaign finance totals, including the $2,500 exemption limit.
Step 5: Send the right message at the right time
Wisconsin's spring calendar gives you natural moments to text. Keep each message short, and include "Reply STOP to opt out" on the first message to each person.
Welcome, after someone signs up:
Thanks for signing up! I'm Pat Smith, running for Village Board on April 6. I'll text a few key updates. Reply STOP to opt out.
Caucus reminder, for towns and villages that nominate by caucus (held between January 2 and 21, 2027):
The town caucus is Thursday, Jan 21 at 7 p.m. at the town hall. Your vote there decides who is on the ballot. Can you come?
Early voting: in-person absentee voting for April 6 runs from Tuesday, March 23 to Sunday, April 4, 2027, based on state law (computed; confirm hours with your clerk).
Early voting is open at the village hall through Sun, Apr 4. Bring photo ID. Hours are on the clerk's website. Thank you!
Election Day, Tuesday, April 6, 2027:
Today is Election Day! If you have not voted yet, your polling place and hours are on the clerk's website. Thank you for your support!
Before sending, confirm the details with your clerk, including caucus dates, early voting hours, polling places and polling hours. For more wording, see our campaign text templates for local races.
A short checklist
- Written, dated permission from every person you text.
- No texts to nomination paper signers who did not separately agree.
- CF-1 filed with your local filing officer, and an EIN for the committee.
- Registration confirmed online, or Campaign Verify Support consulted, before you request.
- Campaign Verify requested on or after November 15, 2026.
- Messages scheduled between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., with opt-outs handled.
For more on how political texting works, see our political texting guide.
Get set up before circulation begins
Open your account now, and have your number registered before the busy weeks of December and January.