1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

Dear Congressman Barrett, I am writing as one of the Michigan content creators who helped expose the use of undisclosed paid political influencers in Michigan's U.S. Senate race. Political campaigns should never be allowed to disguise paid advertisements as authentic grassroots support. Yet campaigns are increasingly paying influencers to shape public opinion without clear disclosure, leaving voters unable to tell the difference between genuine content and political advertising. Many of the influencers involved were not even from Michigan and have participated in similar undisclosed political campaigns in multiple states. This is not just a Michigan problem. It is a growing national threat to election integrity. Our campaign finance and advertising laws have failed to keep pace with social media, allowing campaigns to exploit loopholes that mislead voters and undermine trust in our elections. I urge you to introduce and support federal legislation that requires clear disclosure of all paid political influencer content, establishes meaningful penalties for campaigns and influencers who fail to disclose sponsored political advertisements, and creates uniform national standards so these deceptive tactics cannot simply move from one state to another. Regardless of political party, voters deserve to know when they are being advertised to. Transparency should not be optional. I hope you will take the lead on this issue and help restore trust in digital political campaigning.