No election AI law1 AI call rule2 political AI laws
Pennsylvania has no election-specific AI law: campaigns face only the general 2025 digital forgery crime (Act 35), which bars passing off an AI fake of a real person's image or voice as genuine to defraud or injure, while the election deepfake disclosure bill HB 811 passed the House 203 to 0 in June 2025 and has sat in a Senate committee since.
Political ad AI law
No law
When it applies
No state rule
Required AI disclaimer
None required
Criminal penalty
No state rule
Candidate can sue
General law only
AI voice calls
1 state rule + TCPA
Political ads and deepfakes
Does Pennsylvania regulate AI in political ads?
No. As of October 5, 2026, Pennsylvania has no state law that specifically regulates artificial intelligence or deepfakes in political ads or election communications. Pennsylvania has not enacted a law aimed at AI in political ads, so there is no required AI disclaimer and no election-window deepfake ban. The closest law is Act 35 of 2025 (SB 649, 18 Pa.C.S. 4101.1), a general crime of digital forgery that applies to everyone, including campaigns: distributing a computer-generated image or voice of a real person as genuine, with intent to defraud or injure, is a first degree misdemeanor, and clear notice that the content is not genuine is a defense. Election-specific bills are pending in the 2025 to 2026 session, which ends November 30, 2026: HB 811 (passed the House, stuck in Senate Communications and Technology Committee), SB 1332, and HB 486.
No AI disclaimer is required by Pennsylvania statute. Ads still need Pennsylvania's standard paid-for-by disclosures, and a deepfake that defames a candidate or misleads voters about how to vote can still create liability under general law and federal rules. If your ad also runs in a neighboring state's media market, that state's AI law can apply.
Bills to watch
HB 811 (2025 to 2026 session), Fraudulent Misrepresentation of a Candidate Prevention Act: Civil liability for knowingly disseminating a campaign advertisement (including mailings, emails, telephone calls, radio, TV, and digital) containing a deepfake of a candidate within 90 days of an election, unless it carries a disclosure in substantially this form: "This (image/video/sound/content) contains deepfake content and has been manipulated or generated using synthetic content to depict speech or conduct that did not occur," plus embedded content provenance. Candidates could sue for punitive damages and injunctions; civil penalties up to $15,000 per day per ad.. Passed the House 203 to 0 on 2025-06-23; referred to Senate Communications and Technology Committee 2025-06-24; no further action as of early October 2026. Dies if not enacted by November 30, 2026.
SB 1332 (2026), Artificial Intelligence in Political Advertisements Act: Would require any political advertisement (expressly including telephone calls, robocalls, and text messages) containing footage or audio generated in whole or part by AI to state that, with the date, time, and origin of the content; audio-only ads would need the statement as an audio tagline at the start. Civil fine up to $3,000.. Introduced and referred to Senate State Government Committee 2026-05-21; no further action
HB 486 (2025): Would amend Election Code section 1638 so that paid political communications "may not utilize artificially generated facsimiles of a human voice," a misdemeanor with fines up to $1,000 that the candidate or treasurer must pay personally.. Referred to House Communications and Technology Committee 2025-02-04; no further action found
For campaigns and consultants
Before an AI ad runs in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has no AI disclaimer requirement for political ads today; do not tell clients a state AI label is legally required.
Do not release AI images or voice clones of a real person (opponent, official, or anyone) presented as real if the aim is to mislead or harm; that can be a crime under the general digital forgery law, 18 Pa.C.S. 4101.1.
If you use AI depictions of real people for contrast or parody, label them clearly as not genuine; reasonable notice is an affirmative defense.
Watch HB 811 and SB 1332 through November 30, 2026; if either passes, a fixed AI disclosure (including on robocalls and texts under SB 1332) would apply.
AI voice calls and texts
Can a campaign use AI voice calls in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania has no enacted law aimed at AI voices or political robocalls; federal TCPA rules govern (the FCC confirmed in February 2024 that AI voices are "artificial" voices requiring prior express consent for calls to cell phones). The general digital forgery law (18 Pa.C.S. 4101.1, effective 2025-09-05) would reach a call that uses a cloned voice of a real person, presented as genuine, with intent to defraud or injure. Two pending bills target AI voice in political calls: HB 486 would ban artificially generated facsimiles of a human voice in paid political communications, and SB 1332 would require an AI audio tagline at the start of robocalls and other audio political ads that use AI-generated audio.
SB 649 (2025), Act 35 of 2025: Digital forgery (voice clones)
In effect
Citation
18 Pa.C.S. 4101.1
Enacted
July 7, 2025
Effective
September 5, 2025
When it applies
anytime
Media covered
audio recordings of an actual and identifiable individual's voice that are computer-generated or modified
Who it covers
any person
Rule
general law
Intent required
intent to defraud or injure, distributed as genuine
Disclaimer format
Reasonable notice that the content is not genuine is an affirmative defense.
Exemptions
constitutionally protected activity
technology providers
information services
Criminal penalty
Misdemeanor of the first degree; felony of the third degree in a scheme to defraud, coerce, or steal
Injunction available
No
Notes
General crime, not election-specific. A generic AI voice agent that does not imitate a real, identifiable person is not a forged digital likeness.
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
AI and election administration laws
Other Pennsylvania AI laws that touch elections
SB 649 (2025), Act 35 of 2025: Digital forgery (general crime, not election-specific)
18 Pa.C.S. 4101.1 · effective September 5, 2025
A general criminal law, not an election law. It is a first degree misdemeanor (third degree felony in a scheme to defraud, coerce, or steal) to create and distribute a "forged digital likeness" (a computer-generated image or voice of a real, identifiable person that materially misrepresents them, is likely to fool a reasonable person, and was made without consent) as genuine, with intent to defraud or injure. It reaches political deepfakes and voice-clone robocalls of candidates when made with that intent, at any time of year; taking reasonable action to tell viewers or listeners the content is not genuine is an affirmative defense, and constitutionally protected activity is excepted.
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.
Voter contact that clears Pennsylvania's AI rules before the first dial.
Live professional callers and AI voice programs for voter ID, persuasion, ballot chase and GOTV, scripted to the disclosure and consent rules on this page, with every call graded and a real time dashboard.
No. As of October 5, 2026, Pennsylvania has no state law that specifically regulates artificial intelligence or deepfakes in political ads or election communications. Pennsylvania has not enacted a law aimed at AI in political ads, so there is no required AI disclaimer and no election-window deepfake ban. The closest law is Act 35 of 2025 (SB 649, 18 Pa.C.S. 4101.1), a general crime of digital forgery that applies to everyone, including campaigns: distributing a computer-generated image or voice of a real person as genuine, with intent to defraud or injure, is a first degree misdemeanor, and clear notice that the content is not genuine is a defense. Election-specific bills are pending in the 2025 to 2026 session, which ends November 30, 2026: HB 811 (passed the House, stuck in Senate Communications and Technology Committee), SB 1332, and HB 486.
Can a campaign use an AI voice for robocalls in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania has no enacted law aimed at AI voices or political robocalls; federal TCPA rules govern (the FCC confirmed in February 2024 that AI voices are "artificial" voices requiring prior express consent for calls to cell phones). The general digital forgery law (18 Pa.C.S. 4101.1, effective 2025-09-05) would reach a call that uses a cloned voice of a real person, presented as genuine, with intent to defraud or injure. Two pending bills target AI voice in political calls: HB 486 would ban artificially generated facsimiles of a human voice in paid political communications, and SB 1332 would require an AI audio tagline at the start of robocalls and other audio political ads that use AI-generated audio. 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 Pennsylvania have other AI election laws beyond political ads?
Yes. SB 649 (2025), Act 35 of 2025, Digital forgery (general crime, not election-specific): A general criminal law, not an election law. It is a first degree misdemeanor (third degree felony in a scheme to defraud, coerce, or steal) to create and distribute a "forged digital likeness" (a computer-generated image or voice of a real, identifiable person that materially misrepresents them, is likely to fool a reasonable person, and was made without consent) as genuine, with intent to defraud or injure. It reaches political deepfakes and voice-clone robocalls of candidates when made with that intent, at any time of year; taking reasonable action to tell viewers or listeners the content is not genuine is an affirmative defense, and constitutionally protected activity is excepted.
How many political AI laws does Pennsylvania have?
This tracker counts 2 Pennsylvania AI laws touching politics and elections as of October 5, 2026: 1 on AI or artificial voice calls, 1 on voting and election officials.
Are there pending AI election bills in Pennsylvania?
HB 811 (2025 to 2026 session), Fraudulent Misrepresentation of a Candidate Prevention Act (Civil liability for knowingly disseminating a campaign advertisement (including mailings, emails, telephone calls, radio, TV, and digital) containing a deepfake of a candidate within 90 days of an election, unless it carries a disclosure in substantially this form: "This (image/video/sound/content) contains deepfake content and has been manipulated or generated using synthetic content to depict speech or conduct that did not occur," plus embedded content provenance. Candidates could sue for punitive damages and injunctions; civil penalties up to $15,000 per day per ad.): Passed the House 203 to 0 on 2025-06-23; referred to Senate Communications and Technology Committee 2025-06-24; no further action as of early October 2026. Dies if not enacted by November 30, 2026. SB 1332 (2026), Artificial Intelligence in Political Advertisements Act (Would require any political advertisement (expressly including telephone calls, robocalls, and text messages) containing footage or audio generated in whole or part by AI to state that, with the date, time, and origin of the content; audio-only ads would need the statement as an audio tagline at the start. Civil fine up to $3,000.): Introduced and referred to Senate State Government Committee 2026-05-21; no further action. HB 486 (2025) (Would amend Election Code section 1638 so that paid political communications "may not utilize artificially generated facsimiles of a human voice," a misdemeanor with fines up to $1,000 that the candidate or treasurer must pay personally.): Referred to House Communications and Technology Committee 2025-02-04; no further action found.