Why Can't I Send My Text Myself?

You compose, test, and submit your text in the portal — but the actual release to voters is done by the PolitiFast team. That is by design, not a limitation we plan to remove.

Why we release every send

Your campaign texts through a carrier registration (Campaign Verify and 10DLC) tied to your committee. Carriers watch political traffic closely, and a single non-compliant send — a missing disclaimer, a list with bad consent, a message that trips spam filters — can get that registration suspended. When that happens, your campaign can be offline for weeks while re-registration works through the carriers, often at the exact moment you need to reach voters most.

Having a human review every send before it goes out is the cheapest insurance there is against that outcome.

What review actually checks

Before releasing your message, the team confirms:

• Your "Paid for by..." disclaimer is configured so it appends correctly.
• Opt-out language ("Reply STOP to opt out") is present in the message — this is not added automatically, so you must write it in.
• The message content will not trigger carrier content filters.
• The recipient list you selected is the one you intended, with opt-outs already excluded.

How fast it goes out

Most submitted sends are reviewed and released the same business day. If your send is tied to a date — a debate, early voting, election day — say so when you submit, and we will schedule the release around it.

Verify it yourself, instantly

You do not need us to see exactly what voters will receive. Every send lets you text up to 2 free test recipients — usually your own phone and a colleague's — and you can send up to 10 test sends per message while you polish the wording. Test texts go out immediately, no review needed.