There are moments when legislative nuance gives way to brute force — where the fine print isn’t just fine, it’s fatal. Buried inside the latest budget bill, cheerfully marketed as Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” is a ticking time bomb. Two, actually. But let’s focus on the one with a ten-year fuse: a full moratorium on state and local regulation of artificial intelligence in elections.

That’s right. More than 20 states — from conservative strongholds to liberal bastions — have passed laws to ban deepfake robocalls, require transparency in AI-generated political ads, and penalize deceptive uses of AI in campaigns. In short, they’ve tried to protect voters from being manipulated by machines.

This bill would erase all of that.

Section 43201(c) bars any such regulation for ten years. It doesn't just preempt new laws. It voids existing ones. It tells states — who have always been the laboratories of democracy — to sit down and shut up. And it leaves our elections wide open to AI-generated chaos until at least 2035.

Imagine what that looks like: fake videos of candidates saying things they never said, deepfake robocalls telling voters their polling place has moved, synthetic endorsements from trusted figures who never endorsed anyone. And with no disclosure requirements, no legal accountability, no recourse. Just lies on loop — faster, cheaper, and more convincing with each election cycle.

It’s not democracy. It’s demolition.

Why would Congress do this? The generous read is that they don’t fully understand what they’ve enabled. The more cynical — and perhaps more accurate — read is that some politicians see benefit in untraceable mudslinging and unregulated digital warfare. They’re not scared of AI. They’re counting on it.

AI’s Role in Political Misinformation

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming a tool for political manipulation, especially in the spread of misinformation. Deepfakes—hyper-realistic AI-generated videos or audio—can make politicians appear to say or do things they never did, sowing confusion and distrust. AI voice cloning has already been used in robocalls impersonating candidates to mislead voters about when or where to vote. On social media, armies of AI-driven bots can flood platforms with fake news, memes, and polarizing content, creating the illusion of grassroots sentiment or popular consensus.

Language models are also being used to generate fake news articles and hyper-targeted disinformation ads, customized to exploit voters’ fears or beliefs. These tools can scale rapidly, evade detection, and undermine the democratic process by blurring the line between truth and fiction. Even more troubling, AI can simulate fake "leaked" conversations or emails using cloned voices and writing styles, eroding public trust before the truth catches up.

The misuse of AI in political campaigns isn’t just possible—it’s already happening. As these tools grow more sophisticated, so must our defenses: media literacy, regulatory oversight, and responsible tech development are critical to preserving the integrity of elections.

AI generated examples

Check out these latest videos that appear real to the untrained eye. Last week, Google introduced Veo 3, its newest video generation model that can create 8-second clips with synchronized sound effects and audio dialog—a first for the company's AI tools. The model, which generates videos at 720p resolution (based on text descriptions called "prompts" or still image inputs), represents what may be the most capable consumer video generator to date, bringing video synthesis close to a point where it is becoming very difficult to distinguish between "authentic" and AI-generated media.

But it doesn’t have to pass like this

Two provisions — Section 70302 (a sweeping contempt-of-court clause) and Section 43201(c) — must be removed. If you’ve read this far, you’re probably angry. Good. Now channel that anger.

Call your Senators. Tell them to vote no unless those sections are gone.
Use this script:

“Hi, I’m [Your Name] from [Your City/State]. I’m calling to urge Senator [Name] to oppose the budget bill unless Sections 70302 and 43201(c) are removed. These provisions are unacceptable.”

Here’s the link to your Senators: senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

Because this isn’t just a policy fight. It’s a fight for reality itself.