What Campaign Verify is
Campaign Verify is the nonpartisan identity-verification service for U.S. political senders, run at campaignverify.org. It exists to answer one question for the carriers: is this committee actually the organization it claims to be? A committee that passes receives an authorization token, and that token is what a messaging provider imports during 10DLC registration to unlock the political use case.
The token is the proof. 527 status is not auto-detected anywhere in the registration system, so a candidate committee, PAC, or party committee without a valid token simply cannot register political messaging, no matter how legitimate it is.
Who needs a token, who never will
The rules are simple but constantly gotten wrong, in both directions: 527s stall because nobody requested a token, and 501(c)(4)s stall because somebody is waiting for a token that will never come.
| Organization | Campaign Verify token? | Political use case via |
|---|---|---|
| Candidate committee | Required, hard gate | Token imported at registration |
| PAC or Super PAC | Required, hard gate | Token imported at registration |
| Party committee | Required, hard gate | Token imported at registration |
| 501(c)(4) advocacy org | No, and cannot get one | Automatic IRS status verification |
| 501(c)(5) union / 501(c)(6) trade assoc. | No, and cannot get one | Automatic IRS status verification |
| 501(c)(3) charity | Not eligible for political messaging | Uses the charity use case instead |
Getting a token, step by step
The committee requests verification
At campaignverify.org, tied to the committee’s own filing and EIN. The committee itself authorizes this, because the service is confirming that committee’s identity.
Campaign Verify checks the record
The committee’s registration details are checked against its federal, state, local, or tribal filing. For state, local, and tribal verifications, the EIN on the token must match the brand’s EIN exactly.
The token is issued
Typically within one to seven business days. The token is then imported by the messaging provider during 10DLC brand and campaign registration, which opens the political use case.
Registration proceeds on top of it
The token unlocks the political category; the brand and campaign filings still have to clear on their own merits. What those filings involve is covered in the 10DLC quick start.
Cost, timing, and expiry
- Roughly $95 per entity per two-year election cycle, paid to Campaign Verify
- One to seven business days to issue, so it is never a day-of task
- Expires each election cycle and must be renewed
- Imports once per messaging provider: a token used with a previous vendor cannot be reused, the committee needs a fresh one for the new brand
- For state, local, and tribal verifications, the committee EIN on the token must match the brand's EIN exactly
The practical consequence of the issue time is a planning rule: start verification the day the client signs, not the week of the first send. Registration stacks on top of the token, and carrier vetting stacks on top of registration, so the token is the first domino, not the last.
What verification unlocks
Beyond eligibility for the political use case, a verified 527 lands in the strongest sending tier in the 10DLC system, including exemption from the daily message caps that are usually the binding constraint at GOTV scale. For a committee planning a real election-week program, that cap exemption is the client-facing win.
Where tokens go wrong
- The token was never requested. The most common failure is simple lateness: a committee signs, everyone assumes registration is filed, and the token request that gates the whole thing sits unstarted.
- An old token from a previous vendor. Tokens import once per messaging provider. A committee that texted last cycle on another platform needs a fresh token for the new brand.
- EIN mismatch. For state, local, and tribal committees, the EIN on the token and the EIN on the brand must match exactly, and a brand-new EIN can lag 30 to 90 days in the databases vetting checks against.
- An expired cycle. Tokens expire each election cycle. A committee reactivating for a new race needs a renewal, not the old token.
Moving a book of clients whose registrations and tokens live with a previous vendor is its own process with its own sequencing: the Migration Playbook covers it end to end.
Questions partners ask
What is Campaign Verify?
Campaign Verify is the nonpartisan identity-verification service for U.S. political senders. It confirms that a candidate committee, PAC, or party committee is the organization it claims to be, and issues an authorization token that messaging providers import during 10DLC registration to unlock the political use case.
How much does Campaign Verify cost?
Roughly $95 per entity per two-year election cycle, paid to Campaign Verify directly. The token then has to be renewed each cycle.
How long does Campaign Verify take?
One to seven business days to issue a token, on top of the 10DLC brand and campaign registration that follows it. It is never a day-of task: start it the day the committee signs, not the week of the first send.
Does a 501(c)(4) need a Campaign Verify token?
No, and it cannot get one. Social-welfare organizations, unions, and trade associations unlock the political use case automatically through IRS tax-status verification at brand registration. Campaign Verify will not issue them a token, so waiting on one stalls the filing for nothing.
Can we reuse the token from our previous texting vendor?
No. A token imports once per messaging provider. A committee moving platforms needs a fresh token for the new brand, which is one of the timeline items our migration onboarding handles up front.
Do you get the token for my clients?
The committee authorizes verification itself, because Campaign Verify is confirming the committee's own identity. What we do is tell you exactly when a client needs one, walk the request with you, import the token, and file the 10DLC registration it unlocks.