Texas Passed Law Against Election Deep Fakes in 2019
State legislation criminalized the distribution of deceptive AI content within a 30-day window before an election.
Updated on Oct. 6, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
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Texas enacted a law in 2019 that makes it a criminal offense to distribute AI-generated deep fake videos within 30 days of an election. The regulation targets media distributed with the specific intent to injure a candidate or influence the outcome of an election.
Why it matters
The statute establishes a legal framework for addressing deceptive synthetic media in political campaigns, a challenge that remains unaddressed by federal law. Recent legislative attempts in 2025 to expand these requirements to broader altered media disclosure failed to pass.
The 2019 Texas statute mandates that synthetic media deemed deceptive is illegal if circulated within the 30-day window preceding an election. Unlike proposed federal standards, this state law remains the primary mechanism for prosecuting AI-based election interference in the region.
The players
Vikki Goodwin
A State Representative who filed a criminal complaint regarding an allegedly AI-generated video.
The details
The law defines the criminal offense based on the distribution of intentionally deceptive AI-generated content. State Representative Vikki Goodwin filed a criminal complaint in Travis County, alleging a specific video met these criteria. This enforcement process relies on demonstrating that the media was used to purposefully harm a candidate or swing an election result.
Timeline
2019: Texas passed the state law prohibiting election-related deep fakes.
2025: A bill requiring disclosure for all altered media in political ads failed to pass.
Within 30 days of an election: Deep fake distribution is classified as a criminal offense.
The Tech Race
The 2019 Texas law banning election-related deep fakes establishes a unique state-level barrier against synthetic political content. While the state continues to navigate these legal boundaries, federal efforts remain stagnant, marked by the failure of a 2025 disclosure bill.
Residents in Texas are subject to these specific criminal statutes regarding political advertisements within 30 days of an election. This legal environment requires that any digital content created with AI and used for political influence must comply with state-defined standards for truthfulness.
The takeaway
The effectiveness of these regulations hinges on the ability of local authorities to successfully prosecute cases involving intent-based synthetic deception. Observers should monitor future legislative sessions to see if the state reconciles its specific deep fake law with broader disclosure requirements.
Further reading
For broader analysis on how states are responding to synthetic media, visit our Artificial Intelligence section.
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