Senators urge Federal Elections Commission to close regulatory loophole for online political ads

A group of 15 Democratic senators urged the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) on Monday to subject online political ads to the same requirements as political ads aired on television, radio and satellite.

U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) submitted a letter to FEC Chairman Steven Walther on the final day of a public comment period on whether the FEC should change current rules to end a regulatory exemption for online ads.

“Over the past year, our country has come to realize the ease with which foreign actors can interfere in our elections, undermining the integrity of — and reducing public confidence in — the electoral process,” the public comment states. “As part of a wide-ranging interference campaign during the 2016 election, Russian operatives used advertisements on social media platforms to sow division and discord, distorting public discourse and coarsening our political debate. The actions undertaken by Russia should not be considered an anomaly; they will be the norm in future elections if we do not take immediate action to improve the transparency and security of our election process.”

The FEC must take immediate action, the senators continued, to close loopholes that have enabled “foreign adversaries to sow discord and misinform the American electorate.”

“Without change, the misuse of online advertisements during the 2016 election will serve as a template for other foreign powers who wish to influence our elections,” the comment states. “Failure to act threatens the very foundation of our democracy.”

In October, Warner, Klobuchar and U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) introduced a bill, the Honest Ads Act, to ensure that online political ads are subject to the same rules as TV, radio and satellite ads.