Governor Rockefeller this weekend signed into law a bill designed to discourage publication and distribution of biased material during political campaigns. The measure will become effective next September I, two months before state-wide elections for a variety of state and local offices.
The new law bars unsigned campaign material and makes it a misdemeanor to print or distribute any political literature which lacks the name of the printer, the individual or group sponsor, and the person who gave the order for printing or distribution. Penalties for violation range up to a $500 fine and a year in prison.
Sponsors of the measure said they hoped it would eliminate campaign material appealing to racial or religious prejudices. The measure is based on the proposition that persons would choose not to distribute such material if compelled by law to be publicly identified with it. The law previously required only that the name of the printer or sponsoring group be placed on political material. However, in many cases, only the printer’s name was used, while sponsoring individuals or groups were hard to locate.
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