Campaign Texting

Political Text Messaging for Texas Campaigns

A text reaches voters on the one device they carry everywhere. Vertical Web runs peer-to-peer and MMS texting for campaigns, with real people answering the replies and every opt-out honored. It is part of our voter outreach services for races in Houston and across Texas.

Galleria 713-703-3030 | Kingwood 281-852-8253

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4.9

Google Rating, Certified Google Partner

First Place triple honors, Best of West Houston 2025. More than $1M in annual PPC managed. Every service delivered in-house, and our original 1998 client is still with us.

P2P vs. Broadcast

P2P texting vs. broadcast texting: which one fits your campaign?

The difference is how each message gets sent, and that decides which rules apply. What follows is a plain-English summary, not legal advice.

Peer-to-peer (P2P) texting means a person sends each text by hand, one at a time. FCC rules allow texts sent manually this way without the recipient’s prior consent. P2P also invites real conversations, because a person is on the other end to read and answer each reply.

Broadcast texting sends one message to many numbers automatically. The FCC requires prior consent for autodialed texts to mobile phones. Broadcast fits supporters who opted in, such as people who signed up on your campaign website and agreed to receive texts.

Either way, carriers require political senders on standard 10-digit numbers to register first, and anyone can opt out by replying STOP. Anyone who gets an unwanted text can forward it to 7726 to report it, which is one more reason to text with care.

At a glance

Use Cases

What do political campaigns use text messages for?

Texting works best for short, timely messages that ask for one small action. These are the jobs campaigns hand it most often. For longer stories and fundraising appeals, pair your texts with political email marketing.

Voting Reminders

Tell voters when early voting starts, where their polling place is and when polls close. A reminder that arrives at the right moment is easy to act on.

Volunteer Shifts

Fill block walks, phone banks and poll greeter slots with a quick text and a sign-up link. Confirmations and day-before reminders help cut down on no-shows.

Event RSVPs

Invite supporters to town halls, rallies and meet-and-greets, and let them reply YES to hold a spot. Your team gets a head count before the doors open.

Rapid Response

When news breaks about your race, a text can put your side of the story in front of supporters quickly. Each message links back to a statement on your campaign website.

Fundraising Links

A short, personal text with a donation link can work well near a reporting deadline. We keep these asks rare so supporters do not tune them out.

Quick Surveys

Ask one simple question and let voters answer by reply. The answers help your team sort supporters, undecided voters and people who want a yard sign.

MMS

When is MMS worth using for a political text?

MMS adds a picture, a short video or another image to a text. It usually costs more to send than plain text, so we save it for moments when a visual does the job better than words.

A candidate photo

A friendly photo helps a voter put a face to a name on the ballot. It works well in an introduction text early in the race, before most voters know who you are.

A short video message

A brief video from the candidate feels personal in a way text cannot. We keep these short and add captions, so the message makes sense with the sound off.

A sample ballot image

Down-ballot races can be hard to find on a long ballot. An image showing where your race appears helps supporters find you. Have your treasurer or attorney check the disclosure on any image before it goes out.

A polling location map

A map image with the address removes one more reason not to vote. It is especially useful when a polling place has moved or sits somewhere hard to find.

Why Vertical Web

What sets Vertical Web apart for campaign texting?

A text lands in the most personal space a voter has. One careless message can become the story of the week. You want a texting team that knows the rules, answers for every reply and will steer you away from sends that do more harm than good.

Taught in Houston Classrooms

Beth Guide, who leads every campaign program, has taught SEO since 2003. Her digital marketing students come through the University of Houston SBDC, the SBA, HCC and Lone Star College, and Houston viewers see her on Fox 26. Campaigns get the people other marketers learn from.

One Team From Script to Reply

Our in-house team writes the script, handles registration, sends the texts and answers the replies. The campaign website carriers review is built and hosted by the same team, so nothing falls between vendors.

Here Since 1998

We opened our doors in 1998, and that first-year client is still with Vertical Web today. Our record includes Certified Google Partner status, a 4.9 Google rating and First Place triple honors in Best of West Houston 2025.

Fewer, Better Texts

With more than $1M in annual PPC under management, we watch what every contact costs. If one more text blast will only annoy your supporters, we will recommend holding it.

Replies

Who answers when voters text back?

Replies are the whole point of peer-to-peer texting. Our team handles them using rules your campaign approves before the first message goes out.

1. You approve the script

We draft the opening text and a set of approved answers for common replies, in English and Spanish if you need both. Your campaign signs off on every word.

2. We agree on escalation rules

Some replies need the campaign, not a script: press questions, upset voters, and offers to donate or volunteer. We decide up front what gets passed to your staff and how.

3. Our team sends and responds

Members of our in-house team send the texts and answer replies from the approved script. Anything outside the script follows the escalation rules you set.

4. Opt-outs are honored and logged

A voter who replies STOP, or asks to stop in other words, is removed and not texted again by the program. The request goes onto the shared suppression list your email and call programs also check.

5. You get a clear report

After each send you see replies, opt-outs, sign-ups and flagged conversations. Useful answers flow back into your voter records for the next round.

Before You Send

What does a campaign need before sending political texts in Texas?

Texting takes more setup than email or calls. Carriers, federal rules and Texas law each ask for something different, and meeting one set of rules does not satisfy the others. This is a summary, not legal advice.

10DLC registration

Carriers require political senders using standard 10-digit numbers to register a brand and a campaign through The Campaign Registry. Unregistered traffic gets filtered or blocked. Our political 10DLC compliance guide walks through the process step by step.

A Campaign Verify token

Political senders reach a special political use case with a token from Campaign Verify, a nonpartisan nonprofit. Eligible committees include candidates, parties and PACs organized as 527 committees and on file with the FEC or with a state, local or tribal election office. Our Campaign Verify and 10DLC registration help handles that filing for you.

Consent for automated texts

If any part of your program is automated, you need prior consent from the mobile numbers you text. We keep a record of where each consent came from. The email and SMS compliance page covers record keeping for the whole program.

Texas disclosure language

Texas Election Code Section 255.001 requires political advertising with express advocacy to say it is political advertising and name who paid for it. We build that disclosure into texts and landing pages, and we recommend your treasurer or attorney review the final wording.

A clean list of numbers

Your text list should start from reliable numbers. Our voter data and phone append service matches numbers to voter records. Texas law makes it a crime to use registrar voter data to advertise commercial products or services, so these lists stay political.

Get registered first

Two pages to read before your first campaign text

Carriers want to know who is texting before the first message goes out. Start with the guide if you want to understand the rules, or go straight to the registration help page and let our team handle the paperwork.

Political 10DLC Compliance Guide

A plain-English guide to carrier registration for Texas campaigns.

Campaign Verify and 10DLC Registration Help

We handle the Campaign Verify token and 10DLC paperwork.

Straight answers

Political Text Messaging: Frequently Asked Questions

Can a Texas campaign text voters who never signed up?

Yes, when it follows federal rules, carrier rules and Texas law. A text typed and sent by a person, one at a time, needs no prior consent under FCC rules. Autodialed texts to mobile phones need prior consent. Carriers require 10DLC registration, and Texas requires a disclosure on political advertising with express advocacy, which can include campaign texts. This is general information rather than legal advice, so check the specifics with your treasurer or attorney.

Do we need voters' permission to text them?

For peer-to-peer texts sent by hand, one at a time, FCC rules do not require prior consent. For automated or broadcast texts to mobile phones, you do need prior consent. Many campaigns use P2P for voters on the file and broadcast only for supporters who signed up. Either way, every voter can opt out, and that request must be honored.

Can you send political texts in Spanish?

Yes. We write Spanish-language scripts and approved replies alongside the English versions, so both carry the same message, the same ask and the same disclosure. When language preference is known, we split the list so each voter gets the version that fits. Replies in Spanish follow the same escalation rules as replies in English.

What happens when a voter replies STOP?

The number is removed from the program and logged on the shared suppression list. We also treat plain-language requests, such as asking to be left alone, as opt-outs. That list is checked before every text, email and call send, so the voter is not contacted again through the channel they asked to stop. People can opt out any reasonable way, and campaigns must honor it.

Can texting replace phone banking or robocalls?

Not always. Texting reaches voters who carry a mobile phone and read their messages. Some older voters still rely on a landline, and a short recorded message may reach them better. Many campaigns use texts, calls and email together, each for the job it does best. We will help you decide whether political robocalls belong in your plan.

How far ahead should we set up political texting?

Start early. Before your first text, you need a Campaign Verify token, a registered brand and campaign, a website with a privacy policy and texting terms, and approved scripts. Carrier review can take time, and we cannot promise how long it will take. Setting everything up well before early voting keeps registration from becoming a bottleneck when reminders matter most.

How much does political text messaging cost?

Cost depends on the size of your list, whether you send plain text or MMS, how many rounds you plan, how many replies need an answer and whether you need registration help or phone numbers appended. We do not publish prices, since no two texting programs look alike. Schedule a Consultation to get a plan and a quote built around your campaign.

Do you text for both Republican and Democratic campaigns?

Yes. We are a nonpartisan shop that texts for Republican and Democratic candidates alike, and we stay out of policy debates. Scripts, reply logs and lists from one campaign never reach another. To see how Texas primary history shapes targeting, read about GOP voter outreach and outreach for Democratic campaigns.

Start the conversation with your voters

Let us register your numbers, write your scripts and answer every reply with care. Schedule a Consultation and we will map a texting plan from your first introduction text to Election Day.

Galleria 713-703-3030 | Kingwood 281-852-8253 | info@verticalweb.com