Bill Text: IL HB4624 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Amends the Election Code. In provisions concerning the prevention of voting or candidate support and conspiracy to prevent voting, provides that the term "deception or forgery" includes, but is not limited to the creation and distribution of a digital replica or deceptive social media content that a reasonable person would incorrectly believe is a true depiction of an individual, is made by a government official or candidate for office within the State, or is an announcement or communication made by a government agency and that is reasonably likely to dissuade a voter from registering to vote or lawfully voting, supporting, or opposing the nomination or election of any person for public office or any public question voted upon in any election. Defines additional terms. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-04-05 - Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB4624 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HB4624-Introduced.html

---

103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB4624 Introduced , by Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
10 ILCS 5/29-4 from Ch. 46, par. 29-4
10 ILCS 5/29-18 from Ch. 46, par. 29-18
Amends the Election Code. In provisions concerning the prevention of voting or candidate support and conspiracy to prevent voting, provides that the term "deception or forgery" includes, but is not limited to the creation and distribution of a digital replica or deceptive social media content that a reasonable person would incorrectly believe is a true depiction of an individual, is made by a government official or candidate for office within the State, or is an announcement or communication made by a government agency and that is reasonably likely to dissuade a voter from registering to vote or lawfully voting, supporting, or opposing the nomination or election of any person for public office or any public question voted upon in any election. Defines additional terms. Effective immediately.
LRB103 38169 SPS 68302 b
A BILL FOR
HB4624 LRB103 38169 SPS 68302 b
AN ACT concerning elections.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Election Code is amended by changing
Sections 29-4 and 29-18 as follows:
(10 ILCS 5/29-4) (from Ch. 46, par. 29-4)
Sec. 29-4. Prevention of voting or candidate support.
(a) Any person who, by force, intimidation, threat,
deception or forgery, knowingly prevents any other person from
(a) registering to vote, or (b) lawfully voting, supporting or
opposing the nomination or election of any person for public
office or any public question voted upon at any election,
shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.
(b) As used in this Section:
"Artificial intelligence" means a machine-based system
that can make predictions, recommendations, or decisions
influencing real or virtual environments for a given set of
human-defined objectives. "Artificial intelligence" includes
generative artificial intelligence.
"Deception or forgery" includes, but is not limited to:
(1) the creation and distribution of a digital replica
of an individual generated by artificial intelligence that
a reasonable person would incorrectly believe to be a true

HB4624 - 2 - LRB103 38169 SPS 68302 b
depiction of that individual and that is reasonably likely
to dissuade a voter from registering to vote or lawfully
voting, supporting, or opposing the nomination or election
of any person for public office or any public question
voted upon in an election;
(2) the creation and distribution of deceptive social
media content that a reasonable person would incorrectly
believe is an announcement or communication made by a
government agency and that is reasonably likely to
dissuade a voter from registering to vote or lawfully
voting, supporting, or opposing the nomination or election
of any person for public office or any public question
voted upon in an election; and
(3) the creation and distribution of deceptive social
media content that a reasonable person would incorrectly
believe is made by a government official or candidate for
office in this State and that is reasonably likely to
dissuade a voter from registering to vote or lawfully
voting, supporting, or opposing the nomination or election
of any person for public office or any public question
voted upon in an election.
"Digital replica" means any audio or visual material that
has been created, materially manipulated, altered, or
annotated to appear to be a realistic record of an act, speech,
conduct, absence, or appearance of an individual that a
reasonable person would incorrectly believe to be a true

HB4624 - 3 - LRB103 38169 SPS 68302 b
depiction of that individual and that falsely depicts an
individual engaged in speech or conduct in which the depicted
individual did not engage.
"Generative artificial intelligence" means an automated
computing system that when prompted with human prompts,
descriptions, or queries can produce outputs that simulate
human-produced content, including, but not limited to, the
following:
(1) textual outputs, such as short answers, essays,
poetry, or longer compositions or answers;
(2) image outputs, such as fine art, photographs,
conceptual art, diagrams, and other images;
(3) multimedia outputs, such as audio or video in the
form of compositions, songs, or short-form or long-form
audio or video; and
(4) other content that could be otherwise produced by
human means.
(Source: P.A. 78-887.)
(10 ILCS 5/29-18) (from Ch. 46, par. 29-18)
Sec. 29-18. Conspiracy to prevent vote - Liability).
(a) If 2 or more persons conspire to prevent by force,
intimidation, threat, deception, forgery or bribery any person
from registering to vote, or preventing any person lawfully
entitled to vote from voting, or preventing any person from
supporting or opposing, in a legal manner, the nomination or

HB4624 - 4 - LRB103 38169 SPS 68302 b
election of any person for public or political party office,
or a proposition voted upon at any election, or to injure any
person or such person's property on account of such vote,
support or advocacy, and if one or more persons so conspiring
do, attempt or cause to be done, any act in furtherance of the
object of such conspiracy, whereby another is injured in his
person or property or deprived of having or exercising any
right, privilege or immunity secured by the Constitution or
laws of the United States or the State of Illinois relating to
the conduct of elections, voting, or the nomination or
election of candidates for public or political party office,
all persons engaged in such conspiracy shall be liable to the
party injured or any person affected, in any action or
proceeding for redress.
(b) As used in this Section:
"Artificial intelligence" means a machine-based system
that can make predictions, recommendations, or decisions
influencing real or virtual environments for a given set of
human-defined objectives. "Artificial intelligence" includes
generative artificial intelligence.
"Deception or forgery" includes, but is not limited to:
(1) the creation and distribution of a digital replica
of an individual generated by artificial intelligence that
a reasonable person would incorrectly believe to be a true
depiction of that individual and that is reasonably likely
to dissuade a voter from registering to vote or lawfully

HB4624 - 5 - LRB103 38169 SPS 68302 b
voting, supporting, or opposing the nomination or election
of any person for public office or any public question
voted upon in an election;
(2) the creation and distribution of deceptive social
media content that a reasonable person would incorrectly
believe is an announcement or communication made by a
government agency and that is reasonably likely to
dissuade a voter from registering to vote or lawfully
voting, supporting, or opposing the nomination or election
of any person for public office or any public question
voted upon in an election; and
(3) the creation and distribution of deceptive social
media content that a reasonable person would incorrectly
believe is made by a government official or candidate for
office in this State and that is reasonably likely to
dissuade a voter from registering to vote or lawfully
voting, supporting, or opposing the nomination or election
of any person for public office or any public question
voted upon in an election.
"Digital replica" means any audio or visual material that
has been created, materially manipulated, altered, or
annotated to appear to be a realistic record of an act, speech,
conduct, absence, or appearance of an individual that a
reasonable person would incorrectly believe to be a true
depiction of that individual and that falsely depicts an
individual engaged in speech or conduct in which the depicted

HB4624 - 6 - LRB103 38169 SPS 68302 b
individual did not engage.
"Generative artificial intelligence" means an automated
computing system that when prompted with human prompts,
descriptions, or queries can produce outputs that simulate
human-produced content, including, but not limited to, the
following:
(1) textual outputs, such as short answers, essays,
poetry, or longer compositions or answers;
(2) image outputs, such as fine art, photographs,
conceptual art, diagrams, and other images;
(3) multimedia outputs, such as audio or video in the
form of compositions, songs, or short-form or long-form
audio or video; and
(4) other content that could be otherwise produced by
human means.
(Source: P.A. 79-1363.)