District of Columbia AI laws for political campaigns

Political ads and deepfakes

Does District of Columbia regulate AI in political ads?

No. As of October 5, 2026, District of Columbia has no state law that specifically regulates artificial intelligence or deepfakes in political ads or election communications. D.C. has not enacted any rule on AI-generated or synthetic media in political communications. Councilmember Allen's 2024 Deepfake Political Advertising Regulation Amendment Act (B25-0832) died at the end of Council Period 25. His 2025 Campaign Finance Modernization Amendment Act (B26-0329) would add AI disclaimers for images, audio, and video, bar distributing known artificial media within 90 days of an election, allow injunctions, and set Campaign Finance Board fines up to $10,000 (first offense) and $20,000 (repeat), but it has had no hearing and is still under Council review. Bills not passed by December 31, 2026 expire with Council Period 26.

For campaigns and consultants

Before an AI ad runs in District of Columbia

• No D.C. AI disclaimer is required today; follow the District's standard paid-for-by rules on all campaign material.
• If B26-0329 advances, expect exact disclaimers such as "This audio has been altered or modified through the use of artificial intelligence or other digital technology to display a sound or voice that did not occur." read at the start and end of audio.
• Avoid AI likenesses of opponents near an election; the pending bill would bar known artificial media within 90 days regardless of labels.
• Federal TCPA rules on AI and prerecorded voices apply to calls into D.C.

AI voice calls and texts

Can a campaign use AI voice calls in District of Columbia?

D.C. has no statute specific to AI voices or political robocalls. The pending B26-0329 would require a spoken AI disclaimer at the beginning and end of altered campaign audio (and every two minutes if longer) and bar known artificial media within 90 days of an election, but it is not law. Federal TCPA rules, including the FCC's 2024 ruling that AI-generated voices are artificial voices, govern calls into the District.

Federal floor everywhere: AI-generated voices are “artificial” voices under the TCPA (FCC, February 2024), so they need prior express consent to cell phones and must identify the caller at the start of the call. AI robocall laws in every state

Federal layer

Federal rules that apply in District of Columbia

At the federal level, the binding rules that hit AI in campaigns today are the TCPA and FCC robocall rules, not any AI-specific election law. Since February 2024 the FCC treats AI-generated voices as "artificial" voices, so AI voice calls to cell phones need prior express consent (political calls included), AI or prerecorded political calls to landlines are limited to three per 30 days without consent, and every such message must identify the caller, give a callback number and offer an opt-out. The FEC says its existing fraudulent misrepresentation ban covers AI, but it has had no quorum since April 2025 and cannot enforce. Proposed FCC rules on AI disclosure in broadcast political ads and in AI calls were never adopted, and no federal AI political ad disclaimer bill has passed. Federal efforts to preempt state AI laws (a 2025 moratorium the Senate struck 99 to 1, and Executive Order 14365) have not displaced any state election or robocall law as of October 2026.

FCC, FEC and the federal preemption fight

How District of Columbia compares

19 other jurisdictions share District of Columbia's status (no law):

Alaska · Arkansas · Connecticut · Georgia · Illinois · Iowa · Kansas · Massachusetts · Missouri · Nebraska · New Jersey · North Carolina · Ohio · Oklahoma · Pennsylvania · South Carolina · Virginia · West Virginia · Wyoming

See District of Columbia on the mapPolitical deepfake laws, all statesDisclaimer generator