Law / United States / 
Vermont
Vermont Synthetic Media in Elections Act
17 V.S.A. §§ 2031-2033, 2041-2042
A citation is an address, not a summary. The first part names the law; what follows narrows it to the exact section, article or paragraph.
What follows is LexLint's own research summary of this law, not legal advice.
In force 7 months, effective 5 March 2026.
An AI transparency rule binding public and private bodies.
As of 6 September 2026.
What it requires
- Within 90 days before a Vermont election, do not publish, communicate, or distribute synthetic media you know is deceptive and fraudulent synthetic media, meaning a realistic depiction of a candidate that injures their reputation, or of an individual providing materially false information to voters, unless the required disclosure is included.
- The disclosure must read: 'This media has been manipulated or generated by digital technology and depicts speech or conduct that did not occur,' shown for a video's full duration or read at intervals of not more than two minutes for audio.
- A bona fide newscast, a periodical of general circulation, satire or parody, and a telecommunications or interactive computer service passing through another person's content are each exempted, subject to conditions set out in the act.
- A candidate misrepresented by such media may seek injunctive relief in addition to the Attorney General's or a State's Attorney's own enforcement authority.
If you get it wrong
Criminal exposureYes
Private right of actionYes
Criminal exposure note
A knowing and intentional violation is subject to criminal prosecution and a fine of not more than $1,000.00, rising to $5,000.00 with intent to cause violence or bodily harm, $10,000.00 for a repeat violation within five years, or $15,000.00 where both apply; the act specifies no imprisonment term.
Penalty structure
Base fine for a knowing and intentional violation is not more than $1,000.00; not more than $5,000.00 with intent to cause violence or bodily harm; not more than $10,000.00 for a violation within five years of a prior violation; and not more than $15,000.00 where both aggravating factors apply.
- Rule
- Fixed only
- As of
- 6 September 2026
- Minimum
- 1,000
- Currency
- USD
- Fixed cap
- 15,000
Who enforces it
Enforcement body
Vermont Attorney General and State's Attorneys
What it reaches
How the hook was established
express
What makes it apply
Place of effect
Obligation class
Disclosure, Prohibition
What it makes you log
Logging duty
Sections 2031 through 2033 state a disclosure duty for deceptive and fraudulent synthetic media distributed before a Vermont election; they state no duty for the distributor to create, keep, or produce a record of having disclosed. Section 2042, part of this same citation, gives the Attorney General or a State's Attorney a civil-investigation power to examine any existing books, records, papers, or memoranda bearing on an alleged violation and to demand written responses under oath, but that is a general power to investigate a suspected violation rather than a duty imposed by this subchapter to create an AI-specific record.
- Kind
- None
- As of
- 21 September 2026
Who checks it
Audit expectation
none
What this law does
Drafted with AI from the cited sources under the direction of UnGovr staff. UnGovr holds editorial responsibility for this page.
Enacted as 2026 Act No. 75 (S.23), this act adds a new subchapter to Title 17's elections law defining "synthetic media" as an image, audio recording, or video recording of a person's appearance, speech, or conduct created or intentionally manipulated using digital technology, including artificial intelligence, and "deceptive and fraudulent synthetic media" as synthetic media that appears realistic and either injures a candidate's reputation or provides materially false information to influence an election.
Within 90 days before a Vermont election, a person may not publish, communicate, or distribute synthetic media it knows is deceptive and fraudulent unless the media carries a specified disclosure stating that it has been manipulated or generated by digital technology and depicts speech or conduct that did not occur, shown for the full duration of a video or read at set intervals for an audio recording.
The act exempts a bona fide newscast or news broadcast that acknowledges questions about authenticity, a periodical of general circulation that states the media does not accurately represent the person, satire or parody, and a telecommunications or interactive computer service that only carries another person's content.
A knowing and intentional violation is a civil fine of not more than $1,000.00, escalating to $5,000.00 with intent to cause violence or bodily harm, $10,000.00 for a repeat violation within five years, or $15,000.00 where both aggravating factors apply; a misrepresented candidate may separately seek injunctive relief, and the Attorney General or a State's Attorney may investigate and enforce.
The enacted text adds subchapters 4 and 5 to 17 V.S.A. chapter 35, at sections 2031 to 2033 and 2041 to 2042; it is not part of chapter 61 (Campaign Finance). The act took effect on passage, when Governor Scott signed it on March 5, 2026.
When LexLint raises it
generates_content
Read the law
official enrolled act text, Vermont General Assembly (legislature.vermont.gov)
Every line above is drawn from the primary source linked here, read on the date shown. This is a research summary, not legal advice.