Voter Outreach via Text: Real-World Examples and Winning Templates

Voter Outreach SMS: What Works in the Field

Voter outreach by SMS (text message) is the most direct way for a campaign to communicate with the people it is trying to reach. Sending a text is easy, but writing one that gets a response takes skill. Our review of thousands of voter conversations from real campaigns shows that effective texts share specific qualities that generic mass messages lack.

The examples and templates below come from actual political campaigns, including outreach for a U.S. Senate race, state legislative races and local campaigns that used texting to compete with larger campaigns.

The Parts of an Effective Voter Outreach Text

Every effective political campaign text message has four elements:

• Personalization: The voter's first name at minimum, ideally with local context (their district, neighborhood or a local issue)
• Clear identity: Who is texting and why, stated in the first sentence
• A specific request: One clear action (reply to a survey, click a link, show up somewhere)
• Brevity: Under 300 characters if possible, since voters rarely read long texts on their phones.

Voter Outreach SMS Templates by Campaign Phase

Phase 1: Voter Identification (6 or More Months Out)

The goal at this stage is to learn who supports you, who could be persuaded and who is unlikely to support you. Good voter ID texts, which identify where each voter stands, ask a simple question that is easy to answer.

Issue survey:

"Hi {FirstName}, this is {Name} with {CampaignName}. Quick question: what matters most to you this election? Reply: 1) Jobs 2) Schools 3) Healthcare 4) Public Safety"

Support ID:

"Hi {FirstName}, {CandidateName} is running for {Office} in {District}. Can we count on your support? Reply YES, NO, or MAYBE."

Response rates for well-targeted voter ID texts typically run 18 to 30%, which is 10 times better than phone banking for the same group of voters.

Phase 2: Persuasion (3 to 6 Months Out)

At this stage, you are contacting voters who replied "MAYBE" or whom you have not reached yet. Persuasion texts work best when they connect a specific issue to the candidate's position.

Issue-based persuasion:

"{FirstName}, property taxes in {County} went up 12% last year. {CandidateName} has a plan to cap annual increases at 3%. Want to learn more? Reply YES or visit {Link}"

For a complete overview, read how campaigns text voters.

Endorsement announcement:

"Hi {FirstName}, {CandidateName} just earned the endorsement of {Organization}. Here's why they're backing our campaign: {Link}. Questions? Reply here."

Phase 3: Mobilization (Final Month)

This is where texting voters produces its highest return on investment (ROI). You have identified your supporters, and the task now is to get them to vote.

Early voting reminder:

"{FirstName}, early voting starts Saturday. Skip the Election Day lines. Vote at {Location}, {Hours}. It takes 10 minutes. Will you go this weekend? Reply YES."

Volunteer recruitment:

"Hi {FirstName}, we need 15 more volunteers for Saturday's canvass in {Area}. Can you give us 2 hours? Shifts at 10 AM or 1 PM. Reply 10 or 1 to sign up."

Phase 4: GOTV, or Get Out the Vote (Final 72 Hours)

Polling info:

"{FirstName}, tomorrow is Election Day. Your polling place: {Location} ({Address}). Open {Hours}. Bring your ID. Need a ride? Reply RIDE."

Positive social pressure:

"{FirstName}, 4,200 voters in {Precinct} have already cast their ballots. Don't miss your chance to have your say. Polls open until {Time} at {Location}."

Real-World SMS Voter Engagement Examples

Example 1: Small-town council race

A first-time candidate for city council in a town of 15,000 used texting to contact 3,200 registered voters. With a $240 texting budget, they identified 1,100 supporters, recruited 45 volunteers, and won by 312 votes. Their voter outreach SMS program cost less than a single newspaper ad.

Example 2: State legislative primary

A challenger for a state representative seat used two-way texting (texts that voters can reply to) to hold a virtual town hall on education policy. The campaign sent a first text to 8,000 voters asking about school funding, and 2,400 replied. It used those responses to shape its messages for the final weeks and won a primary that most observers expected it to lose.

Example 3: U.S. Senate GOTV

CampaignCNX+ was used for voter outreach in an Illinois U.S. Senate campaign. The campaign's texting program contacted tens of thousands of voters in the final two weeks, with response rates averaging 22%. That was significantly higher than its phone banking, which reached fewer voters at 5 times the cost per contact.

What Makes Voters Respond and What Discourages Them

Do:

• Use their name and mention something local
• Ask a question that is easy to answer (yes or no, or multiple choice)
• Send at appropriate times (10 AM to 8 PM, never before 8 AM)
• Write in a friendly, conversational tone rather than a corporate one
• Follow up on previous conversations ("You told us education is your top issue...")

Don't:

• Send long blocks of text (keep it under 300 characters when possible)
• Use all capital letters or repeated exclamation points
• Send more than 2 or 3 texts per week to the same voter
• Ignore replies (two-way conversation builds trust)
• Forget the basics of the TCPA, the federal law on calls and texts (identify yourself and include opt-out instructions)

Measuring Your Voter Outreach SMS Program

Track these numbers to know if your program is working:

• Delivery rate: Should be above 95%. Lower rates mean inaccurate data or filtering by carriers (the phone companies).
• Response rate: 15 to 30% is good. Below 10% means your message or targeting needs improvement.
• Opt-out rate: Keep it under 3% per send. Higher rates suggest you are texting too often or targeting poorly.
• Action completion: The number of voters who did what you asked (donated, signed up, voted).

Start Building Your Voter Contact Program Early

Winning campaigns do not wait until October to start texting. They set up their texting program early, test their messages, grow their contact lists and expand what works. Each week of delay means fewer conversations with voters before Election Day.

CampaignCNX+ gives you everything you need to run a professional voter outreach program by text, including two-way messaging, tools to sort voters into groups, compliance tools and reports that show what is working. Start with 100 free SMS and use these templates for your campaign. You get 100 free SMS to start, and your number is $5 a month. Once you have your Campaign Verify token (the code issued once Campaign Verify confirms your campaign), we file the carrier approval for you. That review usually takes about 3 business days for a toll-free number.

Read more about CampaignCNX+ for running a Midwest texting program.