Synthetic media in electioneering communications

RCW 29B.35.010 (formerly RCW 42.62.020)

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 since 23 July 2023.

An AI transparency rule binding public and private bodies.

As of 6 September 2026.

What it requires

If your synthetic media alters a candidate's appearance, action, or speech in an electioneering communication, include a conspicuous disclosure stating the media has been manipulated, in the form and duration this statute specifies for visual and audio media, or the sponsor is exposed to injunctive relief and a damages action.
A medium that disseminates such a communication is not itself liable unless it removes the required disclosure or itself changes the content so that it becomes synthetic media.

If you get it wrong

Private right of actionYes

What it makes you log

Logging duty

The statute gives a candidate injunctive relief and a damages action against the sponsor of synthetic media in an electioneering communication, with an affirmative defense for a conspicuous manipulation disclosure. It states no duty for anyone to create, keep, or later produce a log or record of a communication's use of synthetic media.

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.

A candidate whose appearance, action, or speech is altered through synthetic media, an image, audio recording, or video recording intentionally manipulated with generative adversarial network techniques or other digital technology to create a realistic but false depiction, in an electioneering communication may seek injunctive relief and may bring a civil action for general or special damages against the sponsor.

It is an affirmative defense that the communication carries a conspicuous disclosure stating the media has been manipulated, in a form and duration the statute specifies for visual and audio media respectively. A medium disseminating the communication is generally not liable, except where it strips the required disclosure or itself alters content into synthetic media.

When LexLint raises it

generates_content
processes_voice

Read the law

official text, Washington State Legislature (app.leg.wa.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.

Back to the example · Lint your app