The bill would apply to the intentional spread of misinformation around topics like the time and place of an election… or voter eligibility.
Democratic Senator Mary Cavanagh says she wants to reduce barriers to voting.
“And so we want to make sure that no voice is stifled by some disinformation that comes out.”
Republican Senator Ruth Johnson says the intent is good but she’s worried enforcement of the bill could become political.
“If somebody makes a mistake and says something, such as a volunteer who gets no money, they could get a thousand-dollar fine, right?”
The legislation would carry one-thousand-dollar fines for knowingly lying about election information… and a 10-thousand-dollar fine for hiring someone to intentionally lie.
