On September 8, 2026, Google will launch the Gmail Verified Sender Program. If you send email to supporters at their personal Gmail accounts, you should be aware of it. Here’s what it does, whether you qualify, and how to prepare.
What the program does:
The program allows you to verify your committee’s identity and sending domain with Google, and commits you to a set of technical, anti-abuse, and engagement standards. In return, Gmail has clearer signals about your mail, which can support better delivery over time.
The program isn’t an allowlist, and it doesn’t bypass Gmail’s spam filters or guarantee inbox placement. Google still evaluates your reputation, recipient engagement, spam complaints, and authentication before it decides where a message lands.
The program also applies only to personal Gmail and Googlemail accounts; it doesn’t change how your mail is delivered to Google Workspace accounts.
Check your eligibility:
Your organization qualifies if:
- It’s a candidate committee, political party, PAC, or other 527 tax-exempt political organization; and
- It’s registered with the FEC, or with a State, Local, or Tribal Election Authority
That second requirement expands on Google’s 2022 pilot, which covered only federally registered committees. This program includes state and local campaigns too.
501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations don’t qualify, regardless of their political activity.
Meet the enrollment requirements:
To enroll, complete the following steps:
- Verify your identity and sending domain through Campaign Verify
- Use a sending domain that hosts or redirects to your committee’s public website
- Add and verify that domain in Google Postmaster Tools
- Meet Gmail’s sender requirements, including SPF and DKIM authentication
- Configure a custom bounce domain, so SPF can authenticate against your own domain instead of our shared platform domain
- Keep your domain’s Gmail spam rate under 0.3%, averaged over 14 days. Aim well below that though. Google recommends staying under 0.1% and treating 0.3% as a hard ceiling, not a target.
After Campaign Verify completes your verification, Google activates your program status within one to two business days. Check your status in the Postmaster Tools compliance dashboard.
Review the costs:
Google doesn’t charge a program fee. Campaign Verify’s entity verification currently costs around $100 (at the time of publishing) for a two-year election cycle. Campaign Verify hasn’t yet published full pricing or process details for email domain verification, so stay tuned for updates from them.
If you violate program policies:
Google can suspend your domain for seven days, or remove it from the program entirely, if you violate its policies. For an egregious violation, Google can terminate your participation immediately.
If your domain is suspended or removed, you can still send to Gmail, but your messages become subject to Gmail’s standard filtering. Once you resolve the technical or spam-rate issues, Google reenrolls your domain automatically within seven days. Check your status in Postmaster Tools.
Plan for an uncertain timeline: Google hasn’t said whether this program is temporary or ongoing. Treat it as indefinite until Google states otherwise.
Prepare before September 8:
Before enrollment opens:
- Confirm that your committee meets the eligibility requirements
- Confirm that your election-authority filing is current and publicly available
- Confirm that you can access the email address, phone number, or postal address listed on that filing
- Choose a stable sending domain connected to your public website, and don’t plan to change it later
- Add that domain to Google Postmaster Tools, and start monitoring its spam rate
- Review your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configuration
- Avoid sudden increases in sending volume, which can hurt your domain reputation
- Watch Campaign Verify and Google for updates on the enrollment process
If your committee already has a Campaign Verify authorization token, that token alone may not enroll you. Campaign Verify has mainly used these tokens for text messaging. Email domain verification is a separate process that Campaign Verify hasn’t yet fully detailed.
Need help?
The Gmail Verified Sender Program is a compliance and authentication framework, not a guaranteed path to the inbox. If you start cleaning up your authentication, domain setup, and sending practices now, you’ll be ready to enroll when Google opens the process on September 8.
For questions about your technical setup, contact the deliverability team ([email protected]).