Email Deliverability for Government Offices

If you’re a mayor, council member, or state legislator, email is likely one of your main tools for keeping your community informed—whether you’re sharing highlights from a recent council meeting, announcing changes to local bylaws, or providing updates on legislation that affects your district.

But even the most important message doesn’t matter if it never reaches an inbox.

That’s where email deliverability comes in.

In this post, we’ll explain what it is, why it matters for public officials, what can go wrong, and how to ensure your messages reach constituents—not their spam folders.

So, what is email deliverability?

It’s the ability of your email to actually land in a person’s inbox—not in the junk folder where it’s likely to be missed.

You might think, “I sent out my newsletter—it’s out there, right?” Not necessarily.

Email platforms like Gmail and Outlook are constantly scanning messages to decide whether they’re safe, useful, or spammy. Even your most well-intentioned updates—like a reminder about a new community program or a legislative hearing—can get flagged if your emails aren’t set up properly.

Why does this matter for government offices?

For businesses, poor email deliverability means lost sales.

For public offices, it means something even more important:

• Essential updates don’t get through

Your email about a new affordable housing proposal, a change to trash collection schedules, or a public consultation on a zoning amendment could end up in a spam folder—leaving constituents in the dark about decisions that directly affect their daily lives.

• It undermines transparency

When constituents don’t see your updates, they may feel left out of the loop—even if your office communicated clearly and on time.

• Your team spends more time on follow-ups

Missed emails lead to repeat questions, confusion, and extra work for staff trying to clarify or resend information.

• You miss opportunities to connect

Email is one of your most effective tools for inviting people to town halls, surveys, or community events. But it only works if it reaches them.

What affects whether an email gets delivered?

A few things can influence deliverability, even for a public office:

1. Your email address’s reputation

   Email providers track sender behavior. If your office sends from an email that’s been flagged before (intentionally or not), future messages might get filtered automatically.

   
   

2. The content of your message

   All-caps subject lines, too many images, or language that seems promotional or vague can trigger spam filters.

   
   

3. How you send your emails

   Using BCC in Gmail or Outlook for mass sends? That’s a common red flag. Email platforms built for outreach (like newsletters) help protect your sender reputation.

   
   

4. Recipient behaviour

   If people consistently delete your emails or mark them as spam (even accidentally), your sender reputation can drop—making future emails harder to deliver.

Wait, don’t official government emails get through automatically?

Unfortunately, no. Even messages from verified government domains can get blocked if they’re missing key technical elements like SPF, DKIM, or DMARC authentication. And many local and state offices aren’t even aware these checks exist.

Good news: deliverability can be improved

You don’t need to be an IT expert to make improvements. Try starting with:

• A dedicated email platform for newsletters or announcements

• Keeping your contact lists current

• Avoiding spammy formatting—stick to clear, plain language and proper subject lines

• Making sure your domain is authenticated.

These steps build credibility with email providers and help ensure your messages reach inboxes—not spam folders.

Bottom line: Email is powerful—if it gets delivered.

Whether you're sending a legislative update, an announcement from city hall, or a note thanking residents for their feedback—email is a direct, cost-effective way to stay connected with the people you serve.

Let’s get your emails where they belong—right in front of your constituents.

CivicTrack’s cost-effective email platform is built into our constituent management software, making it easy to segment your audience and send targeted newsletters or announcements. Book a demo today.