Does New Hampshire regulate AI in political ads?
Yes. RSA 664:14-c (HB 1596, 2024) prohibits any person, corporation, committee or other entity from distributing, within 90 days of an election at which a candidate will appear on the ballot, an AI or generative AI message it knows or should have known is a deepfake of a candidate, election official, or party on the state or local ballot, unless the media carries the statutory disclosure. Enforcement in the section is civil: the depicted candidate or election official can get an injunction and sue the sponsor for damages and attorney fees. Separately, the general deepfake crime in RSA 638:26-a (a class B felony) can reach a deepfake made to damage a candidate's reputation at any time. Key law (HB 1596 (2024), N.H. RSA 664:14-c).
What AI disclaimer does New Hampshire require on political ads?
HB 1596 (2024), N.H. RSA 664:14-c requires: "This __________ has been manipulated or generated by artificial intelligence technology and depicts speech or conduct that did not occur." Format: Fill the blank with whichever of Image, Video, or Audio most accurately describes the media. Visual media: easily readable by the average viewer and no smaller than the largest font size of other text in the media; video: for the duration of the video. Audio only: clearly spoken at an easily heard pitch at the beginning and end, and if longer than 2 minutes, at intervals of not more than 2 minutes.
What is the penalty for a deceptive political deepfake in New Hampshire?
Civil: Civil only within the section: general or special damages in an action by the depicted candidate or election official against the sponsor; the court may award the prevailing party reasonable attorney fees and costs. Private lawsuits: A candidate or election official whose appearance, action, or speech is depicted may seek injunctive or other equitable relief and sue the sponsor for damages.
When does the New Hampshire political deepfake law apply?
within 90 days of an election at which a candidate for elective office will appear on the ballot. It covers images, audio and video (synthetic media and deepfakes created with AI or generative AI).
Can a campaign use an AI voice for robocalls in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire is ground zero for AI voice calls in politics. In January 2024 about 9,600 robocalls using an AI clone of President Biden's voice told Democrats to skip the primary. Consultant Steve Kramer was charged with 11 felony voter suppression counts and 11 counts of impersonating a candidate and was acquitted on all of them by a Belknap County jury on June 13, 2025; the FCC fined him $6 million (September 2024), carrier Lingo Telecom paid $1 million in an August 2024 FCC settlement, and a federal court entered a default judgment and permanent injunction against Kramer in League of Women Voters of New Hampshire v. Kramer on November 20, 2025. Today the rules that hit AI voice calls are: RSA 664:14-a (prerecorded political messages must identify the candidate or group and payer within 30 seconds, no calls to federal do not call numbers, $5,000 civil penalty per violation plus a private damages action), RSA 664:14-b (no knowingly misrepresenting the origin of a campaign call or spoofing caller ID, $5,000 per violation plus a private damages action), and RSA 664:14-c (an AI voice depicting a candidate inside 90 days needs the spoken AI disclosure). New Hampshire also restricts anonymous push polling. Under federal law, the FCC ruled in February 2024 that AI-generated voices are "artificial" voices under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, so prerecorded or AI voice calls to cell phones need prior express consent, and every such call must identify the caller at the start.
Does New Hampshire have other AI election laws beyond political ads?
Yes. HB 1432 (2024), Fraudulent use of deepfakes (general law that reaches candidates): A general deepfake crime, not an election ad rule. Knowingly creating, distributing, or presenting a deepfake of an identifiable person to embarrass, harass, entrap, defame, extort, or cause financial or reputational harm is a class B felony at any time of year, with no disclaimer safe harbor, so a deepfake made to damage a candidate's reputation is covered. Satire, parody, bona fide news reports, and paid carriers that keep the creator's disclaimer on an election communication are exempt. Criminal case: State v. Kramer (2024 to 2025), Biden AI robocall prosecution: The Attorney General charged Steve Kramer under existing voter suppression and candidate impersonation laws for the AI Biden robocalls. A jury acquitted him on all 22 counts tried on June 13, 2025, after the defense argued the unsanctioned Democratic primary was not covered. Existing voter suppression law still applies to AI calls that lie about how or when to vote. Federal civil case: League of Women Voters of New Hampshire v. Kramer (D.N.H.), Civil suit over AI voter intimidation robocalls: Voters and the League sued Kramer, Lingo Telecom and Life Corporation. Consent judgments resolved the claims against the corporate defendants in 2025, and on November 20, 2025 the court entered a default judgment against Kramer awarding damages and permanently barring him from deceptive or coercive robocall schemes against voters. FCC enforcement (2024), Federal penalties for the New Hampshire AI robocall: Lingo Telecom agreed to pay $1 million and adopt know-your-customer and STIR/SHAKEN compliance measures (announced August 21, 2024). The FCC imposed a $6 million forfeiture on Kramer in September 2024 for spoofed caller ID; Kramer has said he will not pay.
How many political AI laws does New Hampshire have?
This tracker counts 8 New Hampshire AI laws touching politics and elections as of October 5, 2026: 1 on elections, 3 on AI or artificial voice calls, 4 on voting and election officials.
Are there pending AI election bills in New Hampshire?
HB 630 (2025) (Election deepfake bill (per Public Citizen tracker)): Failed June 2025. HB 1500 (2024) (Unlawful distribution of misleading synthetic media): Sent to interim study in 2024; not enacted.