SB223 Alabama 2021 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Chris ElliottSenator

Republican

Co-Sponsors

Will BarfootGarlan Gudger

Session

Regular Session 2021

Title

Elections, prohibit social media companies from restricting access to political candidates during elections, civil penalties, value of endorsement by social media companies required to be recorded as campaign contribution

Summary

SB223 would prohibit social media platforms from deactivating or limiting a political candidate's access during elections, impose civil penalties for violations, and require endorsements by platforms to be recorded as campaign contributions.

What This Bill Does

If passed, the bill would bar social media sites from deactivating or restricting a candidate's access during an election season and would impose a daily administrative penalty of $100,000 on violators, payable to the Secretary of State. The penalties would continue until the candidate's access is restored, with notices sent by certified mail and payment required within 45 days. Additionally, if a social media site publicly endorses or promotes a candidate, the site’s promotion value must be calculated and recorded as a contribution to the candidate’s campaign in required reports; failure to report promptly would be treated as a violation of campaign finance rules. The act also defines key terms and establishes when the law takes effect.

Who It Affects

• Candidates for political office: protected from platform deactivation or restriction during elections; must have endorsements recorded as campaign contributions
• Social media websites/platforms: face daily penalties for violations; must calculate and report endorsement values; subject to enforcement and penalties
• Campaign committees (candidates' campaigns): responsible for recording endorsement values as contributions in their reports; subject to reporting violations
• Secretary of State: administers penalties, issues notices, collects penalties, and distributes collected funds to the State General Fund

Key Provisions

• Prohibits social media websites from deactivating, restricting, canceling, or discontinuing a candidate's access to their resources during an election season
• Establishes a daily administrative penalty of $100,000 against violating social media sites starting with the 2022 election cycle; penalty ceases when access is restored and must be paid within 45 days
• Penalties are collected by the Secretary of State and deposited into the State General Fund
• If a social media site publicly endorses or promotes a candidate, the value of the endorsement must be determined and recorded as a contribution in the candidate's campaign report
• Failure to timely report endorsement value is a violation of campaign finance reporting requirements
• Defines key terms: 'Candidate' and 'Social Media Website' for purposes of the act
• Effective date: the first day of the third month after the bill becomes law

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 23, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Elections