- United States
- Calif.
- Letter
Support the PAID Act: Require Influencer Disclosure of Paid Political Content
To: Sen. Padilla, Sen. Schiff, Rep. Chu
From: A verified voter in Pasadena, CA
August 2
Please support the PAID Act (H.R. 9110), introduced by Rep. Mark Takano and Sen. Adam Schiff, which would require social media influencers to clearly disclose when they're being paid by a political committee to post campaign content. Voters have a right to know who is financing what shows up in their feeds before they head to the polls.
Democratic and Republican groups have already spent millions on pay-for-play social media across recent election cycles, according to the New York Times. During California's gubernatorial primary, campaigns for multiple candidates faced accusations of paying influencers who never disclosed the arrangement. An influencer today can reach more people than a billboard or a broadcast ad — but without the same transparency rules that apply to every other form of political advertising. That's a gap that benefits campaigns, not voters.
The PAID Act closes that gap by requiring a clear, conspicuous disclaimer on any paid political content. Until big money is out of politics entirely, the least we can do is make sure voters know who's behind the message. Pass this bill.