Start by identifying the jurisdiction and the suspected problem. A missing or inadequate “paid for by” disclaimer may be a federal campaign-finance issue when the ad concerns a federal candidate or committee. A false statement by itself is not automatically an FEC violation, and the Federal Election Commission is not a general political fact-checker. State and local election rules, voting intimidation, communications-service complaints, and platform labeling policies use different channels.
This guide covers the United States. If the ad concerns a state, territory, municipality, or local ballot measure, begin with that jurisdiction’s chief election official because filing forms, deadlines, and remedies vary.
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First, classify what may be wrong
Before filing anything, describe the suspected conduct precisely. “Misleading” can mean a demonstrably false factual claim, a deceptive editing choice, an undisclosed sponsor, or a platform-policy violation. Those categories do not go to the same office.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems- Federal campaign-finance or disclaimer concern: The FEC administers federal campaign-finance law for the U.S. House, Senate, President, and Vice President. It is not responsible for every election-related law.
- State, territorial, county, city, or ballot-measure ad: Use the applicable state or local election authority. The rules and filing procedures depend on where the election is held.
- Voting intimidation, suspected voter fraud, or another voting-rights issue: These are outside the FEC’s campaign-finance jurisdiction. The FEC directs people to state election offices for suspected intimidation or fraud and to the U.S. Department of Justice for possible federal voting-law violations.
- Television or radio service issue: The FCC complaint center lists categories such as TV service and radio issues, but its reviewed material does not establish a general process for challenging the truth of a political advertisement.
- Platform labeling or advertising-policy issue: Report the ad inside the application where it appeared. That asks the company to apply its own rules; it is not a substitute for a regulator’s complaint.
The FEC itself states: “Other election-related laws are not within the FEC’s jurisdiction.”
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Preserve the ad before you report it
Political ads can be edited, withdrawn, or removed after a report. Capture the complete item first, while it is still visible. A screenshot or recording is useful evidence, but it does not by itself prove that a legal violation occurred.
- Save every frame of a video, the audio, accompanying text, captions, and any “paid for by” label.
- Record the account, page, advertiser, sponsor, or committee name exactly as displayed.
- Copy the ad, post, or landing-page URL and note the platform or media outlet.
- Write down the date, time, and your location when you encountered it.
- Quote the exact words you believe are false or identify the precise disclosure that is missing or unreadable.
- Keep the original file when possible and avoid cropping away the surrounding account information or disclaimer placement.
- Separate what you personally saw or heard from information obtained from another person, article, or database. Keep the source for anything that is not firsthand.
If the ad is in a feed or video, make the capture before opening the reporting menu. Platforms may change the display after you submit a report.
Choose the reporting route
More than one route can be appropriate. The table shows what each channel can and cannot address.
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| Route | Best fit | Formality and evidence | What happens next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Election Commission | Suspected violation of federal campaign-finance law or a federal disclaimer requirement involving a federal office | Written complaint with your full name and address, signature, sworn statement, and notarization; supporting records and a clearly identified respondent are important | The FEC reviews jurisdiction and sufficiency, then the Commission decides whether to proceed. Enforcement matters are confidential until resolved. |
| State or local election authority | State or local candidate, committee, referendum, or election rule | Procedure, deadline, and required proof vary by jurisdiction | The relevant state or local agency applies its own law and process. |
| U.S. Department of Justice or state election office | Possible voting intimidation, voter fraud, or federal voting-rights violation | Preserve the communication and describe the conduct, location, date, and people affected | The receiving authority determines whether the matter falls within its enforcement role. |
| FCC complaint center | A communications-service problem, such as a TV or radio service issue | Use the category that matches the service problem; a story submission is not the same as a complaint | The FCC handles matters within its communications jurisdiction. The reviewed guidance does not promise a fact-checking remedy for political claims. |
| Advertising platform | Missing political label or violation of the application’s advertising policy | In-app report with the preserved ad and account context | The company reviews the report under its own policy. It may label, restrict, or remove content, or take no action. |
When an FEC complaint is the right path
Any person may file an FEC complaint when they believe a federal campaign-finance law or regulation has been violated or is about to be violated. The complaint is a formal filing, not an anonymous tip.
Meet the filing requirements
The complaint must be in writing, include your full name and address, and be signed, sworn, and notarized. The FEC accepts complaints by email at [email protected] or by mail to:
FEC Office of General Counsel
1050 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20463
Use the current FEC instructions when preparing the submission because agency procedures can change.
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State specific facts and identify the respondent
Explain what happened in a chronological, fact-based way. Identify each person, campaign, committee, organization, or other respondent you believe may have violated the law. Attach the ad, screenshots, recordings, receipts, contracts, or other records that support your account.
Mark the difference between firsthand knowledge and information or belief. For example, “I watched this video on October 16, 2026” is personal knowledge; “A local article says the committee paid for the placement” is information from another source. Identify that source rather than presenting the second statement as something you personally observed. The FEC says legal citations are not required, so focus on the facts and evidence you can support.
Describe the suspected violation without overclaiming
State whether your concern is a missing disclaimer, an unreadable disclaimer, a communication that may have been paid for by a covered committee, or another campaign-finance fact. A false or exaggerated political statement alone does not establish an FEC violation. Explain the exact claim, why you believe it is inaccurate, and whether you are asking the FEC to assess a separate campaign-finance or disclosure question.
Understand the process and limits
Submitting a complaint does not establish that a violation occurred. The FEC first considers jurisdiction and whether the filing is sufficient. The Commission decides whether to proceed, and enforcement matters remain confidential until resolved. The available guidance does not promise a particular result or timetable, so do not represent a filing as a finding of wrongdoing.
What federal disclaimer rules can cover
The FEC treats “public communications” broadly. The category includes general public political advertising on broadcast, cable, or satellite television; newspapers and magazines; outdoor advertising; certain mass mailings and phone banks; and communications placed or promoted for a fee on another person’s website, device, application, or advertising platform.
Whether a particular internet ad requires a disclaimer depends on who paid for it, whether it is a covered communication, the type of advertiser or committee, the medium, and any applicable exception. An absent label is a reason to investigate, not proof by itself that federal law was violated.
Internet text and graphics
For internet public communications that use text or graphics, the written disclaimer generally must be visible without requiring an additional action and must be readable with reasonable contrast. A label hidden behind an extra click or rendered so faintly that it cannot reasonably be read may raise a different question from an ad that clearly identifies its sponsor.
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Video
When the disclaimer is displayed within a video, the FEC describes a minimum display of four seconds without an additional user action. Preserve the entire video so the timing, placement, and legibility can be evaluated.
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Audio-only internet ads
An audio-only internet advertisement must carry the disclaimer in the audio. A text label that a listener never receives does not perform the same function as an audible disclosure.
Intrinsic space or character limits
The FEC describes an adapted-disclaimer option for certain communications with intrinsic character or space constraints. The adapted format is paired with an indicator and a mechanism requiring no more than one user action. Whether that option applies depends on the communication and the constraint; do not assume that every small banner or short post qualifies.
The FEC’s disclaimer page includes a notice that it has not yet been revised to reflect a June 30, 2026 Supreme Court decision concerning coordinated-expenditure limits. That notice relates to the page’s discussion of the decision. Recheck current official guidance before relying on any affected point.
State, territorial, and local ads
The FEC does not provide a universal complaint process for state or local political advertising. A state legislative race, mayoral campaign, county referendum, or local ballot committee may be governed by a state ethics or election commission, a secretary of state, a county election office, or another designated regulator.
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Locate the chief election official for the jurisdiction where the election occurs, then look for its current campaign-finance or political-advertising complaint instructions. Check the required form, filing method, deadline, signature or notarization rule, and the type of evidence accepted. Do not assume that a federal rule, FEC form, or federal deadline applies to a state or municipal ad.
Voting intimidation, fraud, and voting-rights concerns
If the communication threatens voters, gives deceptive instructions about when or how to vote, appears to encourage violence, or is tied to suspected voter fraud, describe those facts separately from any disclaimer question. The FEC does not handle voting, voter fraud, voter intimidation, ballot access, or election results as campaign-finance matters.
The FEC points people to the appropriate state election office for suspected voter intimidation or fraud and to the U.S. Department of Justice for possible federal voting-law violations. Preserve the exact wording, audience, distribution method, location, and timing, especially if the message appears designed to deter participation.
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When the FCC is relevant
The FCC complaint center includes categories such as television service and radio issues. That makes it relevant to a problem with the communications service itself, but the reviewed FCC material does not establish a general complaint path for deciding whether a political claim is true or false.
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Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Report the ad to the platform
Facebook and Instagram
For Meta’s U.S. political content, the published in-app instructions are to open the ad menu, choose Report, and select the option indicating that the ad refers to a political candidate or issue. Use the platform route when the concern is an absent political label, a misleading sponsor identity, or another violation of the platform’s advertising policy.
The Ad Library provides an archive of political and issue ads. The company stated that ads archived for seven years would begin exiting the Ad Library, its API, and its report on May 24, 2025. That retention detail is dated and archive behavior can change, so capture the ad promptly and check the current library rather than relying on an old retention assumption.
Other applications
Other platforms may use different menus, definitions, and retention periods. This guide does not establish their current reporting steps. Open the ad’s options menu, look for a political-content, misleading-ad, or policy-violation category, and preserve the ad before submitting the report.
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How to write a clear report about a misleading claim
Regulators and platforms can act more effectively when the report distinguishes the claim from the evidence. Use a short, neutral description:
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- Quote the exact sentence, image, voice-over, or on-screen text.
- Identify the speaker or sponsor as displayed, the format, and where you saw it.
- Explain the factual point you believe is inaccurate or materially incomplete.
- Attach a reliable document or source that supports your explanation, and label it as firsthand or secondhand information.
- State whether you are also alleging a missing, hidden, late, or unreadable sponsor disclosure.
- Avoid conclusions such as “the law was definitely broken” unless an authority has already made that determination.
This format keeps a fact-checking dispute separate from a campaign-finance allegation and gives the receiving office enough detail to decide whether the issue is within its jurisdiction.
Practical examples
Federal candidate ad with no visible sponsor
Save the complete ad, account name, URL, date, and every frame. Determine whether the ad was paid for or promoted on another person’s website, device, application, or advertising platform. If the sponsor appears to be a federal campaign or committee, prepare a written, signed, sworn, notarized FEC complaint that identifies the respondent and explains the facts. Report the same ad in the platform’s political-ad menu if its label appears to violate platform policy.
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Preserve the claim and supporting records, then contact the state or territorial election authority responsible for the ballot measure. The FEC is not the default destination for a state or local election communication, and the applicable state filing deadline cannot be inferred from federal rules.
Message telling voters the wrong polling date
Treat this as a potential voting or voter-intimidation issue, not merely a misleading advertisement. Save the message and distribution details, contact the relevant state election office, and consider the U.S. Department of Justice route for a possible federal voting-law violation.
TV ad with a reception or service problem
If the concern is that the station or service failed to deliver the broadcast properly, use the FCC complaint category that matches the service issue. If the concern is only that the political statement is false, the reviewed FCC guidance does not establish a general fact-checking complaint process.
Final evidence checklist
- Complete ad, including all video frames, audio, captions, accompanying text, and disclaimer.
- Displayed account, page, advertiser, sponsor, or committee name.
- Ad or post URL, identifier, platform, or broadcast outlet.
- Date, time, and location where you encountered it.
- Exact words or images at issue and a concise explanation of the concern.
- Documents or reliable sources supporting the concern.
- A clear notation separating your personal observations from information supplied by someone else.
Rules, agency contacts, and platform interfaces can change. Verify the current instructions for the jurisdiction and service involved before filing.
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