What are rules for B2B outreach in the EU (PECR)?

Political campaigns enjoy significant exemptions from email marketing regulations in most jurisdictions, based on the principle that political speech deserves strong protection in democratic societies. CAN-SPAM explicitly exempts political messages from most requirements. CASL exempts messages from registered political parties and candidates. These carve-outs reflect the tension between privacy regulations and free political expression.

Despite exemptions, political campaigns still face practical constraints. Email providers apply the same deliverability standards to political mail as commercial mail, meaning spam complaints and poor engagement hurt inbox placement regardless of legal exemptions. Campaigns that abuse their regulatory freedom often find their messages filtered to spam, defeating the purpose of aggressive outreach.

The intersection of political emails with data protection laws creates complexity. While sending the emails might be exempt, collecting and processing voter data still falls under privacy regulations like GDPR. Campaigns must still honor data subject rights, secure personal information properly, and limit data use to legitimate purposes. Political exemptions from email rules don't exempt campaigns from treating supporters as real people who deserve respect and honest communication.