AI-generated summary, reviewed by Better Utah staff.

Utah's political advertising law currently requires campaign ads to clearly disclose who paid for and authorized them, but the law's language didn't explicitly cover social media. This bill updates those rules by formally defining "advertisement" to include paid communications on social media platforms, and similarly updates the definition of "electioneering communication" — a large-scale ad that names a candidate close to an election — to include social media. It also creates a structured fine system: the lieutenant governor can impose a $1,000 fine for statewide and higher-level violations, while county and municipal clerks can impose $500 fines for local violations, with each fine capped at once per ad for disclosure failures and once per action for other violations. Candidates, political action committees, and outside groups running paid political ads on platforms like Facebook or Instagram are now clearly subject to Utah's disclosure requirements, and those who fail to identify who paid for an ad face enforceable fines.