Massachusetts House Passes Bill Regulating AI Use in Elections
/BOSTON – Friday, February 13, 2026 – This week, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed bills regulating the use of artificial intelligence in political advertisements. The bills would require the disclosure of AI use in political advertisements and would ban deceptive communications about a candidate or about the electoral process within three months of an election.
“As artificial intelligence continues to reshape our economy and many aspects of our daily lives, lawmakers have a responsibility to ensure that AI does not further the spread of misinformation in our politics. That’s why these bills are so important, as they mandate that campaigns disclose the use of AI in any political advertisements, and they ban the use of AI in campaign ads 90 days before an election,” said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D-Quincy). “I want to thank my colleagues in the House for their work on this legislation, and for recognizing the importance of the safeguards that these bills put in place.”
“Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence are making it exponentially more difficult for people to know if what they are seeing or hearing is authentic, especially as it pertains to political advertising,” said Representative Tackey Chan (D-Quincy). “These bills impose common sense guardrails that disclose to the public of the source of the information they are receiving so that we can all discern the accuracy of political ads to make informed voting decisions.”
“As artificial intelligence becomes more sophisticated and more accessible, legislators have a responsibility to protect voters and safeguard the integrity of our elections,” said Representative Bruce Ayers (D-Quincy). “These bills take commonsense steps to ensure transparency in political advertising and to prevent deceptive practices that could mislead voters. I was proud to support this legislation to help strengthen trust in our democratic process.”
An Act to Protect against Election Misinformation prohibits the distribution of deceptive communications within 90 days of an election, which includes:
Audio or visual media which depicts a candidate with intent to injure their reputation or deceive a voter into voting for or against them.
Media that concerns the safety or regular operations of an election with intent to disrupt the integrity of the electoral process.
Content with the intent to mislead voters as to the date and time of an election; the requirements, methods, or deadlines to vote; the certification of an election; and the express endorsement of a candidate or ballot initiative by a political party, elected official, nonprofit organization, or another person.
The bill authorizes a political candidate whose voice or likeness appears in a materially deceptive audio or visual media to seek injunctive or other equitable relief prohibiting the distribution of the media, or to bring an action for damages and attorney’s fees against the party that distributed the media. Exemptions for the 90-day prohibition include: media outlets who air the ads or report on the ads as part of a newscast as long as they clearly acknowledge that there are questions about its authenticity; websites, newspapers, magazines and periodicals; and satire and parody.
An Act enhancing disclosure requirements for synthetic media in political advertising requires that any synthetic media audio or video communication intended to influence voting for or against a candidate or ballot proposition must disclose at the beginning and end of the communication that it contains AI generated materials. Violations are punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000.
“With the rapid advancement in new media technologies, it is important that we have proper safeguards in place to ensure this technology is not abused or manipulated to intentionally mislead voters,” said House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones. “House Bill 5094 provides for greater election transparency by mandating the full disclosure of any artificial intelligence-generated synthetic media used in political advertising and establishing monetary penalties for violations. Promoting the responsible use of new technologies in campaign advertising will help to ensure that voters have access to reliable information so they can make an informed decision about whether to support a candidate.”
An Act to Protect against Election Misinformation passed the House by a vote of 154-3. An Act enhancing disclosure requirements for synthetic media in political advertising passed the House by a vote of 157-0. Both bills now go to the Senate for consideration.