Merkley, Padilla lead new legislation to protect U.S. elections from fraudulent artificial intelligence

KTVZ
Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Alex Padilla (D-OR) — along with Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Peter Welch (D-VT) — announced Friday the introduction of the Fraudulent Artificial Intelligence Regulations (FAIR) Elections Act.

The bill aims to ensure the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) does not enable mass voter suppression and disenfranchisement. The FAIR Elections Act bans false election-related AI-generated content intended to suppress voters and prohibits the removal of voters from rolls unless using verified voter databases, according to Merkley’s news release, which continues in full below.

“We must use every tool at our disposal to protect the integrity of our elections. In 2024, that means stopping bad actors who abuse AI to spread disinformation about voting to further their dangerous voter suppression efforts. The FAIR Elections Act is first-of-its-kind legislation to crack down on the misuse of AI in our electoral system,” Merkley said. “As Americans—particularly Black Americans and other communities of color—continue to face efforts that make it harder for them to vote, Congress must act decisively to protect our freedom to vote in the face of 21^st-century threats like AI.”

“No citizen should be prevented from making their voice heard because they are misled by disinformation about how to vote, or because of unverified databases forcing them off the voter rolls,” Padilla said. “These efforts, made easier and more prolific through artificial intelligence, are the latest threat in our nation’s long history of disenfranchising minorities in America. We must address the threat of AI-related voter suppression head on and redouble our efforts to protect every American’s fundamental right to vote in a free and fair electoral process.”

The threats AI poses to our elections are no longer theoretical: On Election Day in Texas’ 2020 presidential primary, robocalls falsely informed people that voting would take place a day later, attempting to trick voters into arriving at polling sites too late to cast a lawful ballot. New digital tools also allow individuals or vigilante groups to file mass voter challenges using questionable, scraped public data and allow the automation and submission of voter challenges.