No election AI law1 AI call rule1 political AI law
Virginia has no law on AI or deepfakes in political ads: Gov. Youngkin vetoed the 2025 disclosure bills, the 2026 version (SB 141) died in conference, and HB 868 was carried over to 2027, but campaign calls and texts must still identify who paid for them.
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 Virginia regulate AI in political ads?
No. As of October 5, 2026, Virginia has no state law that specifically regulates artificial intelligence or deepfakes in political ads or election communications. Virginia has no statute on AI or synthetic media in political advertising as of October 2026. The General Assembly passed identical disclosure bills in 2025 (HB 2479 and SB 775), which would have required a set disclaimer on electioneering communications with synthetic media, but Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed both on March 24, 2025, and the House sustained the veto. In the 2026 session under Gov. Abigail Spanberger, SB 141 passed the Senate, was rewritten by the House, and failed in conference on March 14, 2026; HB 868 was continued to 2027 and HB 982 died. General rules still apply: false statements can be defamation, and paid ads need the standard sponsor disclosures in Va. Code 24.2-955 et seq.
No AI disclaimer is required by Virginia statute. Ads still need Virginia'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 868 (2026): Political campaign advertisements; synthetic media, penalty (would require a synthetic media disclaimer on political ads). Continued to next session in House Privileges and Elections (voice vote), Feb. 6, 2026, after subcommittee recommended reporting 6 to 2
SB 141 (2026): Political campaign advertisements; synthetic media, penalty. Failed: passed Senate 34 to 4 (Feb. 16, 2026); House passed a substitute 62 to 34 (March 12); Senate rejected it 0 to 40; conference committee failed to report, March 14, 2026
HB 982 (2026): Political campaign advertisements; synthetic media, penalty. Dead: subcommittee recommended laying on the table Feb. 3, 2026; left in House Privileges and Elections Feb. 18, 2026
HB 2479 (2025): Political campaign advertisements; synthetic media, penalty. Vetoed by Gov. Youngkin March 24, 2025; veto sustained April 2, 2025
SB 775 (2025): Political campaign advertisements; synthetic media, penalty (identical to HB 2479). Vetoed March 2025
For campaigns and consultants
Before an AI ad runs in Virginia
No Virginia statute requires an AI label on political ads today, but the disclosure bill has passed at least one chamber three years running; watch the 2027 session (HB 868 carries over).
Do not use AI to put words in an opponent's mouth: defamation law still applies, and federal law bars fraudulently misrepresenting that you speak for another candidate.
Every paid campaign call or text program (25 or more numbers, inside 180 days of a general or 90 days of a primary) must say who sponsored it before the call ends, including AI voice calls.
Never spoof caller ID on campaign calls; for automated calls that display a name, show the candidate, committee, or vendor name.
If you run ads nationally or in other states, label AI content anyway: many neighboring jurisdictions require it.
AI voice calls and texts
Can a campaign use AI voice calls in Virginia?
Virginia has no AI-specific calling law, but its campaign telephone call rules apply to any paid calling or texting program, live or automated, which includes AI voice agents. Va. Code 24.2-959 and 24.2-959.1 require "campaign telephone calls" (calls or texts to 25 or more Virginia numbers, within 180 days before a general or special election or 90 days before a primary, about a candidate or party, made under a paid agreement) to identify the sponsor before the call ends, and they ban intentionally altering caller ID to mislead. Violations carry a civil penalty up to $25,000, and willful violations are a Class 1 misdemeanor. The Virginia Telephone Privacy Protection Act (amended for texts effective Jan. 1, 2026) covers sales calls only, not political calls.
Existing law (2000, amended through 2020): Campaign telephone call identification requirements
In effect
Citation
Va. Code 24.2-955.1 (definition), 24.2-959 (candidate calls), 24.2-959.1 (political committee and other calls), 24.2-955.3 (penalties)
When it applies
180 days before a general or special election; 90 days before a primary or other nominating event (calls to 25 or more Virginia numbers under a paid agreement)
Media covered
Telephone calls and text messages, live or recorded
Who it covers
Candidates, candidate campaign committees, political committees, and other persons sponsoring campaign telephone calls, plus vendors making the calls
Intent required
Caller ID provisions apply to intentional modification for the purpose of misleading the recipient
Disclaimer format
Before the call ends: for candidate calls, the name of the candidate; for political committee calls, the committee name and State Board registration number, or for other persons, the full name and residence address of the individual responsible. For automated calls that display a caller name, the caller ID must show the sponsor's or the vendor's name.
Criminal penalty
Willful violation: Class 1 misdemeanor
Civil penalty
Civil penalty up to $25,000, assessed by the State Board of Elections after a public hearing
Notes
Not AI-specific, but nothing in the statute exempts AI-voiced calls. A violation does not void an election, and the disclosure is satisfied if the required information is conveyed.
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 Virginia
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 Virginia'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, Virginia has no state law that specifically regulates artificial intelligence or deepfakes in political ads or election communications. Virginia has no statute on AI or synthetic media in political advertising as of October 2026. The General Assembly passed identical disclosure bills in 2025 (HB 2479 and SB 775), which would have required a set disclaimer on electioneering communications with synthetic media, but Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed both on March 24, 2025, and the House sustained the veto. In the 2026 session under Gov. Abigail Spanberger, SB 141 passed the Senate, was rewritten by the House, and failed in conference on March 14, 2026; HB 868 was continued to 2027 and HB 982 died. General rules still apply: false statements can be defamation, and paid ads need the standard sponsor disclosures in Va. Code 24.2-955 et seq.
Can a campaign use an AI voice for robocalls in Virginia?
Virginia has no AI-specific calling law, but its campaign telephone call rules apply to any paid calling or texting program, live or automated, which includes AI voice agents. Va. Code 24.2-959 and 24.2-959.1 require "campaign telephone calls" (calls or texts to 25 or more Virginia numbers, within 180 days before a general or special election or 90 days before a primary, about a candidate or party, made under a paid agreement) to identify the sponsor before the call ends, and they ban intentionally altering caller ID to mislead. Violations carry a civil penalty up to $25,000, and willful violations are a Class 1 misdemeanor. The Virginia Telephone Privacy Protection Act (amended for texts effective Jan. 1, 2026) covers sales calls only, not political calls. 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.
How many political AI laws does Virginia have?
This tracker counts 1 Virginia AI law touching politics and elections as of October 5, 2026: 1 on AI or artificial voice calls.
Are there pending AI election bills in Virginia?
HB 868 (2026) (Political campaign advertisements; synthetic media, penalty (would require a synthetic media disclaimer on political ads)): Continued to next session in House Privileges and Elections (voice vote), Feb. 6, 2026, after subcommittee recommended reporting 6 to 2. SB 141 (2026) (Political campaign advertisements; synthetic media, penalty): Failed: passed Senate 34 to 4 (Feb. 16, 2026); House passed a substitute 62 to 34 (March 12); Senate rejected it 0 to 40; conference committee failed to report, March 14, 2026. HB 982 (2026) (Political campaign advertisements; synthetic media, penalty): Dead: subcommittee recommended laying on the table Feb. 3, 2026; left in House Privileges and Elections Feb. 18, 2026. HB 2479 (2025) (Political campaign advertisements; synthetic media, penalty): Vetoed by Gov. Youngkin March 24, 2025; veto sustained April 2, 2025. SB 775 (2025) (Political campaign advertisements; synthetic media, penalty (identical to HB 2479)): Vetoed March 2025.