What political organizations need to know about 10DLC
Important information to know about 10DLC numbers for political organizations:
- Registration is required to access a 10DLC phone number.
- Registrations can take upwards of 7-10 business days to be approved and longer during busy times like the final weeks before Election Day.
- Political committees (527s) need a token (cost: $95) from Campaign Verify in order to register.
We recommend political organizations do the following in order to get your 10DLC number as quickly as possible ⬇️
1. Complete basic organizational and legal setup (if not completed yet)
- Legal organization name
- EIN / Tax ID
- Physical address
2. Begin the verification process with Campaign Verify to gain a token
- Register with Campaign Verify
- Note: Token requires a $95 fee paid to Campaign Verify
- Questions? Check out Scale to Win’s complete guide to getting your Campaign Verify Token
3. Update your website and gather important information about your texting program
- Ensure your website is active and has an opt-in flow, privacy policy, and terms and conditions
- Write an explanation of why you’re texting – i.e. fundraising, event recruitment
- Complete two sample text scripts
4. Submit your registration to Scale to Win
- Complete our 10DLC registration form, and our team will do the rest!
- Questions? Check out our full guide to 10DLC registration
FAQs about 10DLC registration for political campaigns
Do I have to register for 10DLC?
What information do I need to register for a 10DLC number as a political candidate or organization?
How long will it take to get a 10DLC number?
Are there any costs associated with 10DLC?
What if I can’t register for 10DLC?
Could I use toll-free texting instead of 10DLC?
How do I register with Campaign Verify?
What if I’m a consultant who provides texting for my customers?
Do I have to register for 10DLC?
If you’d like your texts to come from local phone numbers, you’ll need to register for 10DLC. The alternative is to register for toll-free numbers, which tend to be approved faster and don’t require Campaign Verify or an EIN. Toll-free numbers have an area code like 833 or 844.
If you have questions about registration, feel free to book time with our team or reach out to compliance@scaletowin.com.
What information do I need to register for a 10DLC number as a political candidate or organization?
- Legal organization name
- EIN / Tax ID
- Physical address
- A Campaign Verify Token
- An active website with an opt-in flow, privacy policy, and terms and conditions
- An explanation of why you’re texting – e.g. fundraising, event recruitment
- Two sample text scripts
How long will it take to get a 10DLC number?
While most registrations take between 7-10 days to get approved once they’re submitted to us, it can take up to two weeks to receive a Campaign Verify token, depending on what information is available in your committee’s public filing.
We recommend getting started with Campaign Verify early! Once you have the token, you can register with us using this form.
Are there any costs associated with 10DLC?
Registering as a political entity for 10DLC requires paying $95 directly to Campaign Verify. Scale to Win will cover the other 10DLC fees associated with registering for 10DLC.
POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS, PACs, or PARTIES:
- $95 vetting fee paid directly to Campaign Verify. This verification is good through January 2027.
- Scale to Win will cover the rest!
Total upfront cost: $95 (to Campaign Verify)
What if I can’t register for 10DLC?
If you’re a group without an online filing for Campaign Verify, without an EIN, or otherwise cannot register for 10DLC, you can register for toll-free numbers instead using this form.
Could I use toll-free texting instead of 10DLC?
Texting with a toll-free number means that instead of texting with a local area code, you’ll text from phone numbers with area codes like 833, 844, or 866 (you won’t ever be texting with an 800 number). These phone numbers otherwise look identical to an ordinary ten-digit phone number with a local area code.
Registration is required to access a toll-free number. At present, it takes around 3-5 business days for toll-free registrations to be approved. You can read more about toll-free texting here and register using this form.
What is Campaign Verify?
Campaign Verify is the vetting organization responsible for confirming the identity of political campaigns, PACs, and parties. Learn more here.
How do I register with Campaign Verify?
To register with Campaign Verify, you’ll submit a committee public filing that can be accessed online. Get started by visiting Campaign Verify, signing up, and filling out a verification request. Full instructions are available here.
If you have specific questions about Campaign Verify, you can reach their support team here.
Here are some handy Campaign Verify resources:
How to register a federal campaign or PAC video>>
How to register a state/local campaign, PAC, or party video>>
Check out the FAQ on Campaign Verify. If you have additional questions, you can reach their support team.
What if I’m a consultant who provides texting for my customers?
Our platform is set up to make it easy to register multiple entities from your account.
- You will register each unique sender individually.
- After you complete your Scale to Win contract, be sure to let our team know you’ll need to register multiple customers, and we’ll be happy to walk you through the process! You can also read more about registering multiple teams in our guide.