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<section article="gel" article_name="Election Law" number="2-110" title_number="2" title_name="Powers and Duties of the State and Local Boards" subtitle_number="1" subtitle_name="State Board">
  <level label="a">
    <level label="1">
      <text>In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>“Election disinformation” means incorrect or misleading information regarding the time, place, or manner of an election, election results, or voting rights in the State that is knowingly and deliberately disseminated.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>“Election misinformation” means incorrect or misleading information regarding the time, place, or manner of an election, election results, or voting rights in the State.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The State Board shall maintain a portal on the State Board’s website that the public may use to report election misinformation and election disinformation.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The State Board shall conduct a periodic review of material submitted by the public through the portal and, to the extent necessary, issue corrective information or refer submissions to the State Prosecutor.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <level label="1">
      <level label="i">
        <text>If the State Administrator receives a credible report that election misinformation or election disinformation, including a deepfake, has been or is being communicated, disseminated, or distributed, the State Administrator:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>shall communicate, disseminate, or distribute to the public accurate information to correct the election misinformation or election disinformation;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>except as provided in subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph, may seek an injunction in accordance with the Maryland Rules for the removal of the election misinformation or election disinformation from any online platform; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>may issue a subpoena in accordance with the federal Stored Communications Act, if applicable, for records related to the dissemination or distribution of the election misinformation or election disinformation, including information related to the targeted audience.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The State Administrator may not seek an injunction under subparagraph (i)2 of this paragraph against an interactive computer service, as defined in 47 U.S.C. § 230, for content disseminated by another person through the interactive computer service.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <level label="i">
        <text>The State Board may not file a civil action under this paragraph against a person:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>exempt from the requirements of § 16–905 of this article; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>who seeks to detect, report, prevent, investigate, respond to, or prosecute persons responsible for security breaches, identity theft, fraud, harassment, or other malicious or illegal activity.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The State Board, in consultation with the State Administrator, may file a civil action in a court of competent jurisdiction within the State against a person, campaign, political action committee, or other legal entity if the State Board:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>finds that the person created, used, or disseminated:</text>
        </level>
        <level label="A">
          <text>election disinformation; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="B">
          <text>with reckless disregard, election misinformation; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>incurs costs to communicate, disseminate, or distribute to the public accurate information to correct the election misinformation or election disinformation.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>The State Board may seek damages, court costs, and attorney’s fees in a civil action filed under paragraph (2)(ii) of this subsection.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>A court may award damages, court costs, or attorney’s fees in a civil action filed under paragraph (2)(ii) of this subsection only based on a showing by clear and convincing evidence that the person, campaign, political action committee, or other legal entity created, used, or disseminated:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>election disinformation; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>with reckless disregard, election misinformation.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
