FEDERAL ELECTIONS. CAMPAIGN ADVERTISEMENTS. INITIATIVE STATUTE.

Permits political advertisers in federal elections for President, Vice-President, United States Senate, or House of Representatives to certify voluntarily, under penalty of perjury, the truth of their advertisement. Provides for certification to be filed with the county elections office where the advertisement is published via Internet, radio, television, or bulk mailing. Requires advertisements and accompanying certifications to be publicly available on a State-protected Internet site. Punishes false certifications with up to four years imprisonment. Delays prosecutions for false certifications until after the general election. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: Increased costs to state and local governments. These costs include (1) one-time costs—possibly tens of millions of dollars—to develop new information technology systems and (2) ongoing costs to state and local governments of possibly millions of dollars each year to administer and enforce the new certification process