Get out the vote texting puts reminders on the phones your supporters carry every day. VoterPing's GOTV texting platform helps campaigns send personalized reminders, polling locations, and ballot chase texts to supporters who have not voted yet.
Campaigns are won and lost in the final 72 hours. Every campaign tactic you have deployed — voter ID, persuasion, fundraising — comes down to whether your supporters actually show up to vote. GOTV texting is a fast, low-cost way to remind them when, where, and how to vote.
A text goes straight to the phone a voter carries all day, which makes it a practical channel for last-minute reminders about where and when to vote. VoterPing's political texting service helps you get 10DLC registration done early and handles opt-outs, so your GOTV program is ready before the final week.
Generic "go vote" messages do not cut it. Effective GOTV texting includes each voter's specific polling location, hours, and any special instructions like ID requirements. With polling place fields from your voter data or your election office, texts can include actionable, personalized information that removes barriers to voting and makes it easy for supporters to follow through.
Ballot chase means tracking which of your supporters have voted and sending reminders to those who have not. Where your state or county publishes early vote and ballot return data, you can refresh your list so you see who has voted and who still needs a nudge. This targeted approach means you are not wasting messages on people who have already voted — you are focusing resources where they will actually make a difference in your margin.
GOTV texting with VoterPing uses peer-to-peer texting, which means your volunteers send the messages. Every text is sent by a person using our text banking tools, and more volunteers means more voters reached on election morning. The FCC says political texts sent to mobile phones with an autodialer need prior express consent, while messages sent manually can be sent without prior consent; whether a platform counts as an autodialer depends on how it works.
Effective GOTV texting is not just election day — it is a coordinated effort across the final weeks of a campaign. Here is how VoterPing suggests structuring GOTV texting.
As soon as early voting opens, launch your first GOTV texting round. Target high-propensity supporters with early vote locations, dates, and hours. Early voting texts are less time-sensitive than election day messages, so this is a great time to include additional persuasion messaging alongside the logistical information. VoterPing's political texting platform lets you segment your voter list by vote propensity so you are prioritizing the supporters most likely to follow through on early voting. For a week-by-week schedule with sample texts, see our early voting texting plan.
Text voters who requested absentee ballots but have not returned them yet. Include drop-off locations, mailing deadlines, and any tracking information available. This GOTV texting round catches ballots that would otherwise be forgotten on kitchen counters. It is one of the most cost-effective texting activities a campaign can do — every returned ballot is a vote already cast, and a reminder text costs a few cents.
This is the big push. Send GOTV texts to every identified supporter who has not voted yet. Include their polling location, hours, what to bring, and an offer for rides to the polls. VoterPing's P2P texting platform enables real-time conversations so volunteers can answer questions and troubleshoot issues. "I do not know where to vote" becomes a solved problem in 30 seconds when a volunteer can immediately text back the exact address and hours.
On election day, volunteers text the supporters who have not voted yet with reminders throughout the day. Where voting data is updated during the day, you can drop people who have already voted from later rounds. In close races, every supporter who shows up counts. If your race goes to a December runoff, see our runoff election texting plan.
Include the voter's polling location, hours, and any ID requirements. Generic "remember to vote" messages give voters less to act on than texts with specific, personalized information. VoterPing's merge fields can pull this from voter file data so each GOTV text includes what that voter needs to know.
Send GOTV texts between 9 AM and 7 PM on election day. Morning texts catch people before work; afternoon texts catch people heading home. Avoid texting during rush hours when people cannot respond easily. VoterPing's scheduling tools make timing easy and enforce quiet hours automatically.
Include practical offers like rides to the polls, childcare assistance, or help navigating voting requirements. GOTV texts that remove barriers to voting give supporters a reason to follow through. VoterPing's P2P format allows real-time back-and-forth to solve problems on the spot.
GOTV (get out the vote) texting is sending reminders to your supporters in the days before and on election day: where and when to vote, early vote and ballot return reminders, and follow-ups to supporters who have not voted yet.
Use a peer-to-peer platform with merge fields such as first name and polling place, a list segmented to identified supporters, and volunteers or staff to send and answer replies. Get your 10DLC registration done early so nothing holds up the final week.
Plan rounds around your state's dates: when early voting opens, before mail ballot deadlines, the weekend before election day, and election day itself. Check your state and county election office for exact dates and hours before you write scripts.
Start registration weeks ahead, not days. If you are a 527 political committee you need a Campaign Verify token first: review takes minutes to two business days, and the PIN comes immediately by email or text or in about 5 to 10 business days by mail. Your texting provider then completes 10DLC registration.
With VoterPing, texting is from $0.04 per message and voter data from $0.02 per record. VoterPing's 10DLC campaign verification service is $150, which includes Campaign Verify's $95 fee.
The FCC says political texts sent to mobile phones with an autodialer need prior express consent, and messages sent manually can be sent without prior consent. You must honor opt-outs such as STOP. This is general information, not legal advice. Talk to your campaign's counsel.
Tell us about your campaign and we'll build a texting strategy tailored to your race, budget, and timeline.
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