On January 1, 2020 some changes to California law took effect that might be relevant to your campaign. In particular, if your organization is sending text messages to California voters in support of or in opposition to a candidate or ballot measure, you are now required to disclose the name of your candidate or committee, and in some cases the names of your top contributors.
Make sure to read the new Text Message DISCLOSE Act for all of the details and exceptions, but here are the highlights:
The disclosure is required to be legible, but it can also be conversational and doesn't need to interrupt the flow of your text. You need to use either the phrase "Paid for by" or the word "with," as in: "Hi, I'm [name], a volunteer with [group name or URL]."
If you're not a political party committee or candidate controlled committee, and if you're not using unpaid volunteers to send texts, you'll also have to disclose the names of one or two of your top funders who give $50,000 or more.
Looking to start or improve your organization's SMS program in 2020? We're here to help. To reserve a call with our team, visit acmstrategies.com/schedule-a-call.