News

Updated

Political clipping checklists

Before a paid political clip goes up, check 3 things: that you may work on the campaign, which disclaimer it needs and where, and whether the app allows paid political posts at all.

General information, not legal advice. Laws and app policies as we read them on 24 Oct 2026.

For clippers

  1. Check that you may join: a US citizen or green card holder. Anyone else is a foreign national under US law and stays out of a campaign's decisions. 52 U.S.C. § 30121, 11 CFR § 110.20
  2. Check the app. TikTok bans paid political posts. On Instagram and Facebook the campaign must be authorized by Meta for political ads. TikTok: branded content policy, Meta: branded content policies
  3. Turn on the app's label: Paid partnership on Instagram and Facebook, the paid promotion box on YouTube. Meta: branded content policies, YouTube: paid promotion
  4. On a California campaign, put the paid post disclaimer in the caption, word for word: "The author was paid by [name of committee and committee identification number] in connection with this posting." Cal. Gov. Code § 84513, FPPC staff memo, June 2024
  5. Copy the campaign's own disclaimer exactly as the brief gives it, and keep it readable. Cal. Gov. Code § 84513, 11 CFR § 110.11
  6. Keep the disclaimer and the label on for as long as the post is up. No rule says you may take them off. Cal. Gov. Code § 84513
  7. Do not change what the footage says. AI that makes a real person say or do something they did not needs an AI disclosure, and TikTok bans it for endorsements. Cal. Gov. Code § 84514, YouTube: AI disclosure, TikTok: AI content
  8. Do not pay to boost the post yourself. A boosted post becomes a public communication that needs the full federal disclaimer. 89 FR 196, 11 CFR § 110.11

For campaigns and agencies

  1. Confirm citizenship or green card status before anyone gets access to strategy, targeting or message decisions. 11 CFR § 110.20, FEC: foreign nationals
  2. Contract through a US entity, led by US citizens or green card holders, for anything that touches decisions. 52 U.S.C. § 30121, FEC: foreign nationals
  3. Pay every vendor and paid creator the usual and normal rate. A business's free or cut-price work is a contribution in kind, an individual's unpaid volunteer time is not. 11 CFR § 100.52, FEC AO 2018-11, FEC: volunteer activity
  4. Get authorized by Meta before any paid Instagram or Facebook post, and never pay for TikTok posts. Meta: get authorized, TikTok: branded content policy
  5. Tell every paid poster in writing about the disclaimer, with the exact words and where they go. California requires that notice. Cal. Gov. Code § 84513, FPPC disclosure chart
  6. Put Paid for by on every ad you pay a platform to run or boost, adapted where a full one cannot fit. 11 CFR § 110.11, Cal. Gov. Code § 84504.6
  7. Keep records: a copy of each ad, the payees and handles, and agency payments of $500 or more passed on to your reports. 2 CCR § 18401, 2 CCR § 18421.5, Cal. Gov. Code § 84303
  8. Report each payee over $200 in an election cycle to the FEC, with a clear purpose. 11 CFR § 104.3

Common questions

Who can clip for a US political campaign?

US citizens and green card holders, freely. Anyone else is a foreign national under 52 U.S.C. § 30121, barred from spending on US elections and, under 11 CFR § 110.20, from a campaign's decisions.

Where does the California disclaimer go?

With the post itself. The FPPC accepted it in the caption under 2 CCR § 18450.10, as long as an average viewer can read it.

What records should a political campaign keep?

A copy of each ad, every payee and handle, and agency payments of $500 or more. California's 2 CCR § 18401 asks for ad copies kept 4 years.