Candidate Campaign Ads: Captioning is the Law

The Minnesota legislature passed the Campaign Ad Captioning Law in 2008. All state candidates who accept a public subsidy are required to:

  • caption their online and televised ads and
  • post transcripts of their radio ads

This law provides equal access to voters who are deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing. Deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing people make up 20% of the population. Voters need access to their candidates' platform in order to make a self-informed decision about their votes.

Minnesota Captioning Legislation Video

Senator Ann Rest is featured in a video that explains about the Campaign ad Captioning Law. This video was produced by Senate Media Services and is shared with permission.

If you’re a member of the public who has noticed that a candidate’s ads are not captioned, we recommend taking the following steps:

  1. Contact the candidate. Ask them to caption their ads, and consider referencing 10A.38 Captioning of Campaign Advertisements. You can find the candidate’s contact information through the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Candidate Filings page.
  2. File a complaint if needed. If contacting the candidate is unsuccessful, consider filing a complaint with the Campaign Finance Board. You can use the Board’s complaint form (PDF) and review its complaint procedures (PDF) for more information.

You’re also welcome to keep the Commission updated on your progress by emailing mn.commission@state.mn.us.

MN Captioning Legislation Video Transcript with Senator Ann Rest

[Woman speaking with captions.]

Hello. I'm Senator Ann Rest.

You were able to read my introduction to this video, but not hear it. The captioning allowed you to see what I said. Captioning closes the communication gap between voters who can hear and voters who are deaf and hard of hearing. That s 10% of all voters in Minnesota.

We passed a new law in the 2008 legislative session. Candidates who accept public funding for their campaigns must now caption their ads on TV and online. They also need to post scripts of their radio ads on their web sites.

With captioning and script posting, all potential voters with access to televisions or computers will be able to hear, or see, campaign ads. It's easy and inexpensive. It's the law. But more importantly, it's also an opportunity for candidates to engage more voters in their campaigns for public office.

[Graphic: For information on vendors who provide this service and more, contact: Minnesota Campaign Finance Board & Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing]