Maryland’s Board of Elections voted to require political candidates to clearly endorse campaign messages sent through social media networks to prevent misrepresentation.
The board unanimously voted for the new regulations as social media Web sites such as Facebook and Twitter play an increasingly significant role in elections.
As of this post, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Ehrlich’s Facebook page boasted more than 23,000 “fans,” and Gov. Martin O’Malley’s verged on 9,000 fans.
A legislative review panel is expected to approve the vote and enact the new regulations by the end of July.
