Sacramento Snapshot: Senate wants influencers who post for campaigns to disclose payments

Maybe you’ve scrolled through your Facebook feed during an election season and stumbled upon an influencer’s post encouraging you to get out the vote for a certain candidate. Or you’re on TikTok and the algorithm let through a celebrity’s snappy video advocating for a specific campaign.

Just like #sponsoredposts for products, oftentimes these influencers are paid to promote a candidate or ballot measure.

When it comes to elections, financial disclaimers are required for online advertisements posted by a campaign committee — but that does not extend to a third-party person, like an influencer.

The California Legislature moved to change that last week as the Senate approved legislation from Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana, to ensure influencers disclose these payments. The effort, according to Umberg, is to ensure transparency in California elections.

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