# 119-s-840: Digital Integrity in Democracy Act

119-s-840, Digital Integrity in Democracy Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-840
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-840
- Congress: 119
- Title: Digital Integrity in Democracy Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-03-04
- Sponsor: Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT)
- Cosponsors: 4
- Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Takes away Section 230 immunity for major social media platforms that host objectively false election administration information.** The bill defines covered platforms, the specific kind of false information it targets, a rapid removal process, and legal penalties for noncompliance. - Platforms. Social media platforms with at least 25 million unique U.S. monthly users must evaluate written notices and remove objectively incorrect information about the time, place, manner of voting or voter eligibility within 48 hours on non‑election days and 24 hours on election days. The platform must provide written confirmation within 12 hours after removal. - Candidates. A candidate under the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) may sue after notifying the state chief election official and seek damages of $50,000 per item plus injunctive relief. - Federal and state officials. The U.S. Attorney General and state attorneys general or secretaries of state may bring civil actions seeking $50,000 per item and injunctive relief for information affecting covered elections. - Scope of targeted speech. "False election administration information" is limited to objectively incorrect facts about how or who may vote and excludes political speech that favors or opposes candidates or parties.

## Cosponsors (4)

- Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI] (D-HI), 2025-03-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN), 2025-03-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2025-03-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM), 2025-03-04T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Which platforms and content are covered: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would define what a "covered election" and "false election administration information" mean. It would say false information is objectively wrong statements about the time, place, or manner of voting or about voter eligibility, penalties, or registration status. Political speech…
- Platform notice, removal, and safe harbor: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would require large platforms to follow a written notice-and-remove process for alleged false voting information. A complete notification must identify the content and give the complainant's contact details. Platforms would have to decide if the content is objectively incorrect…
- When the rules would start: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would apply only to allegations that false election administration information is hosted on or after the date of enactment. Platforms would not have removal duties or liability for content hosted before that date.
- Civil suits and $50,000 damages: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would let the U.S. Attorney General sue platforms and seek $50,000 for each item of false election administration information not removed. State attorneys general or secretaries of state could sue over covered elections in their state for the same damages. A candidate could als…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act

## Sources
- [119-s-840 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/840)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-840 (as of 2026-09-10).