30 States Now Have Laws to Regulate Election Deepfakes
At signing ceremony today, Maryland becomes the 30th state with election deepfake protections
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed a new law protecting voters from political deepfakes in election communications. The new law makes Maryland the 30th state to have these protections on the books, according to Public Citizen’s tracker.
State progress on this issue over the past two years has been proactive and bipartisan as generative AI technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace. Meanwhile, at the federal level, both the Trump administration and some Republicans in Congress continue to attempt to force through AI preemption laws that would render state laws null without any meaningful federal protections.
“State lawmakers continue to lead the charge in protecting constituents from the threat of generative AI deceiving voters and undermining elections,” said Ilana Beller, a democracy organizing manager with Public Citizen. “As the 2026 midterm elections approach, and AI continues to evolve in its ability to create increasingly realistic videos and images, the need for the remaining 20 states to enact protections has never been greater.
“At the same time, with the federal government failing to take action on political deepfakes – or almost any AI issue – it is vital Congress protect state authority to regulate Big Tech and AI and not preempt state action.”
To learn more about Public Citizen’s work to regulate AI deepfakes, see our state bills tracker (updated regularly) or visit www.citizen.org/ai.