101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
SB3746

 

Introduced 2/14/2020, by Sen. Cristina Castro

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
10 ILCS 5/Art. 29D heading new
10 ILCS 5/29D-5 new
10 ILCS 5/29D-10 new
705 ILCS 35/28  from Ch. 37, par. 72.28

    Amends the Election Code. Prohibits the distribution, with malice, of campaign material that contains a picture into which a candidate for public office or another person is superimposed. Prohibits, within 60 days of an election at which a candidate for elective office will appear on the ballot, the distribution, with actual malice, of materially deceptive audio or visual media of the candidate with the intent to injure the candidate's reputation or to deceive a voter into voting for or against the candidate. Provides remedies and exceptions for violating the provisions. Amends the Circuit Court Act. Provides that proceedings in cases involving the registration or denial of registration of voters, the certification or denial of certification of candidates, the certification or denial of certification of ballot measures, and election contests shall be placed on the calendar in the order of their date of filing and shall be given precedence.


LRB101 16668 SMS 66055 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB3746LRB101 16668 SMS 66055 b

1    AN ACT concerning elections.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Election Code is amended by adding Article
529D as follows:
 
6    (10 ILCS 5/Art. 29D heading new)
7
ARTICLE 29D. CAMPAIGN MATERIALS

 
8    (10 ILCS 5/29D-5 new)
9    Sec. 29D-5. Campaign material disclosures.
10    (a) As used in this Section:
11    "Actual malice" means the knowledge that the image of a
12person has been superimposed on a picture or photograph to
13create a false representation or a reckless disregard of
14whether or not the image of a person has been superimposed on a
15picture or photograph to create a false representation.
16    "Campaign material" includes, but is not limited to, any
17printed matter, advertisement in a newspaper or other
18periodical, television commercial, or computer image.
19    (b) Except as provided in subsection (c), a person, firm,
20association, corporation, campaign committee, or organization
21shall not, with actual malice, produce, distribute, publish, or
22broadcast campaign material that contains (1) a picture or

 

 

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1photograph of a person or persons into which the image of a
2candidate for public office is superimposed or (2) a picture or
3photograph of a candidate for public office into which the
4image of another person or persons is superimposed.
5    (c) A person, firm, association, corporation, campaign
6committee, or organization may produce, distribute, publish,
7or broadcast campaign material that contains a picture or
8photograph prohibited by subsection (b) only if each picture or
9photograph in the campaign material includes the following
10statement in the same point size type as the largest point size
11type used elsewhere in the campaign material: "This picture is
12not an accurate representation of fact.". The statement shall
13be immediately adjacent to each picture or photograph
14prohibited by subsection (b).
15    (d) Any registered voter may seek a temporary restraining
16order and an injunction prohibiting the publication,
17distribution, or broadcasting of any campaign material in
18violation of this Section. Upon filing a petition under this
19Section, the plaintiff may obtain a temporary restraining order
20in accordance with Section 11-101 of the Code of Civil
21Procedure.
22    (e) A candidate for public office whose likeness appears in
23a picture or photograph prohibited by subsection (b) may bring
24a civil action against any person, firm, association,
25corporation, campaign committee, or organization that
26produced, distributed, published, or broadcast the picture or

 

 

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1photograph prohibited by subsection (b). The court may award
2damages in an amount equal to the cost of producing,
3distributing, publishing, or broadcasting the campaign
4material that violated this Section, in addition to reasonable
5attorney's fees and costs.
6    (f) This Section does not apply to a holder of a license
7granted pursuant to the federal Communications Act of 1934 (47
8U.S.C. Sec. 151 et seq.) in the performance of the functions
9for which the license is granted.
10    (g) This Section does not apply to the publisher or an
11employee of a newspaper, magazine, or other periodical that is
12published on a regular basis for any material published in that
13newspaper, magazine, or other periodical. For purposes of this
14subsection (g), a "newspaper, magazine, or other periodical
15that is published on a regular basis" does not include any
16newspaper, magazine, or other periodical that has as its
17primary purpose the publication of campaign advertising or
18communication.
 
19    (10 ILCS 5/29D-10 new)
20    Sec. 29D-10. Deceptive campaign materials.
21    (a) As used in this Section, "materially deceptive audio or
22visual media" means an image or an audio or video recording of
23a candidate's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been
24intentionally manipulated in a manner such that both of the
25following conditions are met:

 

 

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1        (1) The image or audio or video recording would falsely
2    appear to a reasonable person to be authentic.
3        (2) The image or audio or video recording would cause a
4    reasonable person to have a fundamentally different
5    understanding or impression of the expressive content of
6    the image or audio or video recording than that person
7    would have if the person were hearing or seeing the
8    unaltered, original version of the image or audio or video
9    recording.
10    (b) Except as provided in subsection (c), a person,
11committee, or other entity shall not, within 60 days of an
12election at which a candidate for elective office will appear
13on the ballot, distribute, with actual malice, materially
14deceptive audio or visual media of the candidate with the
15intent to injure the candidate's reputation or to deceive a
16voter into voting for or against the candidate.
17    (c) The prohibition in subsection (b) does not apply if the
18audio or visual media includes a disclosure stating: "This ....
19has been manipulated.".
20    (d) The blank in the disclosure required by subsection (c)
21shall be filled with whichever of the following terms most
22accurately describes the media:
23        (1) Image.
24        (2) Video.
25        (3) Audio.
26    (e) For visual media, the text of the disclosure shall

 

 

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1appear in a size that is easily readable by the average viewer
2and no smaller than the largest font size of other text
3appearing in the visual media. If the visual media does not
4include any other text, the disclosure shall appear in a size
5that is easily readable by the average viewer. For visual media
6that is video, the disclosure shall appear for the duration of
7the video.
8    (f) If the media consists of audio only, the disclosure
9shall be read in a clearly spoken manner and in a pitch that
10can be easily heard by the average listener, at the beginning
11of the audio, at the end of the audio, and, if the audio is
12greater than 2 minutes in length, interspersed within the audio
13at intervals of not greater than 2 minutes each.
14    (g) A candidate for elective office whose voice or likeness
15appears in a materially deceptive audio or visual media
16distributed in violation of this Section may seek injunctive or
17other equitable relief prohibiting the distribution of audio or
18visual media in violation of this Section. An action under this
19subsection (g) shall be entitled to precedence in accordance
20with Section 28 of the Circuit Courts Act.
21    (h) A candidate for elective office whose voice or likeness
22appears in a materially deceptive audio or visual media
23distributed in violation of this Section may bring an action
24for general or special damages against the person, committee,
25or other entity that distributed the materially deceptive audio
26or visual media. The court may also award a prevailing party

 

 

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1reasonable attorney's fees and costs. This subsection (h) shall
2not be construed to limit or preclude a plaintiff from securing
3or recovering any other available remedy.
4    (i) In any civil action alleging a violation of this
5Section, the plaintiff shall bear the burden of establishing
6the violation through clear and convincing evidence.
7    (j) This Section shall not be construed to alter or negate
8any rights, obligations, or immunities of an interactive
9service provider under Section 230 of Title 47 of the United
10States Code.
11    (k) This Section does not apply to:
12        (1) a radio or television broadcasting station,
13    including a cable or satellite television operator,
14    programmer, or producer, that broadcasts materially
15    deceptive audio or visual media prohibited by this Section
16    as part of a bona fide newscast, news interview, news
17    documentary, or on-the-spot coverage of bona fide news
18    events if the broadcast clearly acknowledges through
19    content or a disclosure, in a manner that can be easily
20    heard or read by the average listener or viewer, that there
21    are questions about the authenticity of the materially
22    deceptive audio or visual media;
23        (2) a radio or television broadcasting station,
24    including a cable or satellite television operator,
25    programmer, or producer, when it is paid to broadcast
26    materially deceptive audio or visual media;

 

 

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1        (3) an Internet website or a regularly published
2    newspaper, magazine, or other periodical of general
3    circulation, including an Internet or electronic
4    publication, that routinely carries news and commentary of
5    general interest and that publishes materially deceptive
6    audio or visual media prohibited by this Section if the
7    publication clearly states that the materially deceptive
8    audio or visual media does not accurately represent the
9    speech or conduct of the candidate; and
10        (4) materially deceptive audio or visual media that
11    constitutes satire or parody.
12    (l) The provisions of this Section are severable. If any
13provision of this Section or its application is held invalid,
14that invalidity shall not affect other provisions or
15applications that can be given effect without the invalid
16provision or application.
 
17    Section 10. The Circuit Courts Act is amended by changing
18Section 28 as follows:
 
19    (705 ILCS 35/28)  (from Ch. 37, par. 72.28)
20    Sec. 28. The said courts may, from time to time, make all
21such rules for the orderly disposition of business before them
22as may be deemed expedient, consistent with law.
23    Proceedings in cases involving the registration or denial
24of registration of voters, the certification or denial of

 

 

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1certification of candidates, the certification or denial of
2certification of ballot measures, and election contests shall
3be placed on the calendar in the order of their date of filing
4and shall be given precedence.
5(Source: Laws 1933, p. 435.)