Delaware · House Bill 316 · 152nd General Assembly

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 15 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO DEEP FAKES IN ELECTIONS.

HB 316 Sponsored by Cyndie Romer Withdrawn

  1. Introduced Feb 29, 2024
  2. In committee Feb 29, 2024
  3. Withdrawn  
  4. Passed the Senate  
  5. To the governor  
  6. Became law  

What it does

The legislature's own summary of the bill, or its official long title.

This Act creates a new elections crime: “use of deep fake technology to influence an election.” Under this statute it would be a crime to distribute within 90 days of an election a “deep fake” – that is an audio or visual depiction that has been manipulated or created with generative adversarial network techniques, with the intent of harming a party or candidate or otherwise deceiving voters. It is not a crime, nor…

Read the full title (186 words)

This Act creates a new elections crime: “use of deep fake technology to influence an election.” Under this statute it would be a crime to distribute within 90 days of an election a “deep fake” – that is an audio or visual depiction that has been manipulated or created with generative adversarial network techniques, with the intent of harming a party or candidate or otherwise deceiving voters. It is not a crime, nor is there a penalty, if the altered media contains a disclaimer stating “This audio/video/image has been altered or artificially generated.” There is also provision for civil injunctive relief for a candidate depicted in a deep fake. There are various exceptions to protect speech, expression, and media rights. A violation of this statute is a class B misdemeanor unless the deepfake is intended to cause violence or bodily harm, in which case it is a class A misdemeanor, or if it is a repeat offense within 5 years, in which case it is a class E felony. Pursuant to § 5101 of Title 15, all offenses under this section are heard in Superior Court.

Every action

15 steps, oldest first, as the legislature records them.

Show the 7 earlier steps
  1. CommitteeIntroduced and Assigned to Administration Committee in House · House Administration
  2. HouseSubstituted in House by HS 1 for HB 316
  3. HouseSubstituted in House by HS 1 for HB 316
  4. HouseHS 1 for HB 316 - Reported Out of Committee (Administration) in House with 5 On Its Merits
  5. HouseSubstituted in House by HS 1 for HB 316
  6. HouseHS 1 for HB 316 - - Passed In House by Voice Vote
  7. HouseHS 1 for HB 316 - - Passed In House by Voice Vote
  1. HouseHS 1 for HB 316 - Passed By House. Votes: 37 YES 2 NOT VOTING 2 ABSENT
  2. SenateHS 1 for HB 316 - Assigned to Elections & Government Affairs Committee in Senate
  3. SenateHS 1 for HB 316 - Reported Out of Committee (Elections & Government Affairs) in Senate with 7 On Its Merits
  4. HouseSubstituted in House by HS 1 for HB 316
  5. SenateHS 1 for HB 316 - - Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES
  6. SenateHS 1 for HB 316 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES
  7. HouseHS 1 for HB 316 - Passed By House. Votes: 40 YES 1 NO
  8. HS 1 for HB 316 - Signed by Governor

Roll calls

No recorded votes on this bill yet.

Sponsors

The member who introduced it, joined by 4 cosponsors: 3 Democrats, 1 Republican.

All 4 cosponsors

From Delaware's official records (legis.delaware.gov), checked Nov 1, 2026. Text links go to the official versions; LegiList does not copy bill text.