MA H858

Defines "push-polling" as telephone calls to voters that ask leading questions about candidates while appearing to be independent surveys, with thresholds of more than 2,000 calls under 2 minutes for federal/statewide races or 500 calls for local races

Requires push-poll callers to disclose upfront that the call is a "paid political advertisement," identify the organization making and paying for the call, and provide a valid public telephone number

Mandates callers identify which candidate(s) the call supports or opposes by name before asking any questions

Exempts "bona fide survey and opinion research" including legitimate message testing for research purposes where there is no attempt to influence participants

Violations are punishable by a fine of up to $1,000