Ohio AI laws for political campaigns

Political ads and deepfakes

Does Ohio regulate AI in political ads?

No. As of October 5, 2026, Ohio has no state law that specifically regulates artificial intelligence or deepfakes in political ads or election communications. Ohio has not enacted any AI or deepfake rule for political communications. HB 367 and HB 410 (2023 to 2024) died in December 2024. In the 136th General Assembly (2025 to 2026), HB 362 would require labels on deceptive synthetic media distributed to influence an election in the 90 days before election day, enforced through civil fines by the Ohio Elections Commission, but it has not moved since introduction in June 2025. HB 185, a broader deepfake and likeness bill, was amended in committee in May 2026 but has not passed the House, and HB 1000 was introduced in September 2026.

For campaigns and consultants

Before an AI ad runs in Ohio

• No Ohio statute requires an AI disclaimer on political ads; do not tell clients one is legally required, but platforms and broadcasters may require it.
• Ohio's standard political publication sponsor identification rules still apply to AI made ads.
• Deepfakes of opponents still carry defamation and fraud exposure.
• Watch HB 362: if enacted it would require AI labels within 90 days of an election, enforced by the Ohio Elections Commission.

AI voice calls and texts

Can a campaign use AI voice calls in Ohio?

Ohio has no AI-specific rule for political calls or texts, and no Ohio bill on AI voices in political calls has advanced. Federal TCPA rules (AI generated voices are artificial voices) apply to AI calls into Ohio. Ohio's general political publication identification rules and their application to telephone calls were not confirmed for this entry because the Ohio code site was unreachable.

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 Ohio

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 Ohio compares

19 other jurisdictions share Ohio's status (no law):

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

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