Get out the vote texting works because it is personal and because it is timed. A voter who has already said they support you does not need persuading; they need a plan, a place, a deadline, and a nudge when the record shows they have not followed through. The scripts below are ordered the way a turnout program actually runs: from the day ballots go out, through the early-vote window, to the final 72 hours and poll close. Each one is short enough to fit a single SMS segment where it can, names a real person, and asks for a reply where a reply is the point.
The cadence: who gets what, and when
Before the scripts, the schedule. GOTV texting is aimed at the turnout universe, the identified and likely supporters whose history says they may not vote without a push. Reliable voters get less; anyone struck from the list as having voted gets nothing more. The table is a planning default, not a rule: state calendars, mail-ballot timing, and the size of the program move it.
| When | Script | Model | Who gets it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballots mailed / early vote opens | Voting is open + plan ask | P2P | Whole turnout universe |
| Mid early-vote window | Ballot chase (mail) or early-vote site reminder | P2P | Not yet voted |
| Ballot deadline approaching | Return deadline + drop box | P2P or broadcast | Mail voters, not yet returned |
| Weekend before | Volunteer and rides ask | P2P | Supporters and volunteers |
| Election eve | Night-before plan commitment | P2P | Not yet voted |
| Election Day, morning | Polls open + polling place | Broadcast | Not yet voted |
| Election Day, afternoon | Follow-up on the plan; ride offer | P2P | Committed but not struck |
| Election Day, final two hours | Polls close soon; in line, stay in line | Broadcast | Not yet struck |
| After the polls close | Ballot cure, where the state allows it | P2P | Flagged ballots |
Two rules sit under the whole table. Volume ramps through the final week rather than spiking on election eve, because carriers treat a cold spike from a quiet number as exactly what it looks like. And every send stays inside the quiet hours that apply in each state, which vary and are a matter for the campaign’s counsel. The deliverability side of the final week, and the registration work that has to happen weeks earlier, is the GOTV week deliverability guide.
When voting opens (3 scripts)
Ballots are in the mail
Hi Maria, it’s Alex with the Smith campaign. Mail ballots went out this week. When yours arrives, will you fill it out and send it back the same day? Reply YES and I’ll check in once it’s due. Reply STOP to opt out.
Early voting is open
Hi Devon, it’s Ana with Torres for Mayor. Early voting is open through next Friday. Your closest site is the Rec Center on 5th St, 9am to 6pm. What day works for you? Reply STOP to opt out.
The plan-to-vote ask
Hi Jordan, it’s Lee with Yes on Measure K. Voters who make a plan are far more likely to follow through. Will you vote by mail, early in person, or on Election Day? Reply with one and I’ll send the details. Reply STOP to opt out.
Ballot chase (3 scripts)
The chase is where a P2P program earns its cost. The state’s returned-ballot file says who has not sent theirs back; the texts go only to them, and stop the moment the record updates.
Ballot not yet returned
Hi Ruth, it’s Sam with the Nguyen campaign. Records show your mail ballot hasn’t been returned yet. Drop boxes are open until 8pm Tuesday; the closest is City Hall. Questions? Reply here. Reply STOP to opt out.
Deadline in 48 hours
Hi Ruth, Sam again with the Nguyen campaign. Your ballot has to be received by Tuesday at 8pm, so mailing it now cuts it close. The City Hall drop box is open 24 hours. Can you get it there by tomorrow? Reply STOP to opt out.
Ballot received, thank you
Hi Ruth, it’s Sam with the Nguyen campaign. Your ballot came in, thank you. That’s it from us until results. If you know anyone still holding theirs, the deadline is Tuesday 8pm. Reply STOP to opt out.
The weekend before (2 scripts)
Volunteer shift ask
Hi Priya, it’s Marcus with the Okafor campaign. We’re knocking doors Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 1pm from the office on Elm. Can you take one shift? Reply SAT or SUN and I’ll save your spot. Reply STOP to opt out.
Ride offer
Hi Walter, it’s Dana with Vote Yes on 3. If getting to the polls Tuesday is hard, volunteers are giving rides all day. Reply RIDE with a time and we’ll set one up. Reply STOP to opt out.
Election eve (2 scripts)
Night-before commitment
Hi Tasha, it’s Cole with the Park campaign. Polls open tomorrow at 7am. Voters who make a plan are far more likely to follow through: when are you planning to go? Reply with a time and we’ll send one reminder. Reply STOP to opt out.
Polling place confirmation
Hi Devon, it’s Ana with Torres for Mayor. Quick check before tomorrow: your polling place is Lincoln Elementary, 400 Oak Ave, open 7am to 7pm. Bring a photo ID if your state asks for one. Reply here with any question. Reply STOP to opt out.
Election Day (4 scripts)
Morning: polls are open
Hi Maria, it’s Alex with the Smith campaign. Today is Election Day! Your polling place at Lincoln Elementary is open until 7pm. When do you plan to go? Reply STOP to opt out.
Afternoon: the follow-up
Hi Tasha, Cole with the Park campaign. You said around 4pm today. Lines at Lincoln Elementary are short right now. Still on track? Reply DONE once you’ve voted and we’ll stop texting. Reply STOP to opt out.
Ride, same day
Hi Walter, it’s Dana with Vote Yes on 3. Volunteers are still giving rides to the polls until 6pm. Want one? Reply RIDE and your address and someone will call within 15 minutes. Reply STOP to opt out.
Final two hours: in line, stay in line
Hi Jordan, it’s Lee with Yes on Measure K. Polls close at 7pm. If you are in line by 7, you can still vote, so stay in line. Your site is the Rec Center on 5th St. Reply STOP to opt out.
After poll close: ballot cure (1 script)
In states that allow it, a mail ballot rejected for a missing or mismatched signature can be fixed within a set window after Election Day. The list is small and the deadline is hard, which makes it the highest-value P2P message of the whole cycle per voter.
Signature cure
Hi Elena, it’s Sam with the Nguyen campaign. The county flagged your mail ballot for a signature issue. You can fix it by Friday so it counts. The county’s cure form is at countyvotes.gov/cure or call 555-0142. Can we help? Reply here. Reply STOP to opt out.
The floor under every script
- The sender is named in the first few words. A person and a campaign, every time. It is the first thing carriers look for in political traffic and the first thing a voter looks for before deciding whether to read on.
- Opt-out language ends every message. And the opt-out is honored immediately, across the whole program, on one shared opt-out state, whether the voter replies STOP to a P2P sender or a broadcast number.
- The live script matches the registered samples. Message types the 10DLC campaign description did not claim are a registration mismatch. The filing is walked in the 10DLC quick start and, field by field, in the political 10DLC filing.
- Links stay on the campaign’s own domain. Public URL shorteners are a named rejection cause at registration and a filtering pattern after it.
- Struck voters stop getting texts. The voted file updates daily in most states and hourly on Election Day in some; the program should update with it. Texting someone who voted yesterday is wasted money and an invitation to opt out.
Common questions
When should a campaign start GOTV texting? When early voting or mail ballots open in the state, not on election eve. The sequence runs from the first ballot mailed through poll close, and the registration, list, and ramp work behind it starts weeks before that. A program that sends its first text on Election Day has skipped the part that produces turnout.
How many GOTV texts should a voter get? Plan on three to five touches across the turnout window for a low-propensity target, spaced by phase: one when voting opens, one or two chase messages if the ballot has not come back, one the night before, and one on Election Day. Reliable voters get fewer; anyone who says they have voted gets none.
Should GOTV texts be peer-to-peer or broadcast? Both. Peer-to-peer carries the messages that need a reply: the plan-to-vote ask, the ballot chase, ride requests. Broadcast carries the announcements: hours, polling place, deadlines. Running them on one platform and one voter file keeps opt-outs and voted flags in sync.
What time can campaigns send GOTV texts? Inside the quiet hours that apply in each state, which vary, and never as a cold blast on peak day. Volume should ramp through the final week rather than spike on election eve. Timing rules are a matter for the campaign's counsel; the deliverability side is covered in our GOTV week guide.
Do GOTV texts need an opt-out? Every script on this page ends with opt-out language and names the sender in the first few words, because carriers filter political traffic that hides who is sending and programs that ignore opt-outs get shut down. Treat both as non-negotiable, not as style.
Running the sequence
The scripts are the easy part. The program behind them is a registered sender, a turnout universe built from the voter file, peer-to-peer and broadcast texting on one platform so opt-outs and voted flags stay in sync, and senders staffed for the replies rather than the sends. How peer-to-peer works mechanically is in the peer-to-peer texting guide; the whole turnout plan, sized to your race with every text on a dated timeline, is the GOTV plan builder. FullPAC runs the political texting platform under it, with a named person on the account for election week, and fifteen minutes with your universe size and your dates will tell you what the program costs to run.