The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1879-06-05
THE NEW ELECTION LAW,
To Punish Bribery and Other OHenses.

purity Of elections, which has recent
1 ly become a law:
SECTION l. Be it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of
Ohio, That it shall be unlawful for
any person who is a candidate for
any office of trust or profit, under
the Constitution or laws Of the State, |
or Of the United States, to loan,
give, directly or indirectly, offer, or
promise to give, any money or other
thing OF value, to any elector within |
the district in which be is a candi- !
date, for the purpose of influencing
or retaining the vote Of such elector, |
or give or promise to give to any
4 4person or persons any Of the above
! considerations Of value, to secure orI
retain the influence Of such person
FOR persons in his behalf as such can
didate, or to be used by such person |
or persons to influence the vote of
any individual elector, or Of electors
generally, or to influence him or
them to vote, or to refrain from
voting; provided, that nothing in
this section shall be construed to ap.
ply to hospitality at his own resi-
dence, --- ........ --. -.
SEC. 2. Any person found guilty
of any of the acts named in section
one shall be deemed guilty Of bribe-
Iry, and upon conviction thereof,
shall be fined in any sum notless than
FIVE hundred dollars and not more
than one thousand dollars, or be i'm
prisOned in the Penitentiary not ex-
I ceeding three years (; and if such Of
fender shall have been elected to
the Office for which he was a candi-
date, his Office shall be made vacant |
by conviction, and filed as in other
cases of vacancy, and such person |
shall moreover be forever ineligible !
to any office Of trust or profit within |
this State.
SEC. 3. Any person not a candi-
date for office, who shall disburse, |
or give, or promise to give, any 1
money or thing Of value, or give, or
treat to any spiritUous, malt, or
other liquors, either directly or in
directly, to influence any voter in
giving or Withholding his vote, or who
seeks by violence, or threats of vio-
lence, or threatens to enforce the
payment of debt, or to begin a
criminal prosecution, or to iniure
the business or trade of any eIectOr,
or if any employer of labOrers, or
agent Of such employer, threatens
to withhold or reduce the wages, or
Ito dismiss from service, or refuse to
allow the necessary time to employees
to attend at the place of election
and vote, as inducements to such
/ Felector to vote contrary to his inel-
nations, or any person selling or Of
| fering to sell his influence with other
voters, or who, for or with any con
sideration Of value enumerated in
section one, shall seek to infusnce
the vote Of an electOr, or to refrain
from voting, shall be deemed guilty
of a felony, and upon conviction
thereof, shall be fined in any sum
not less than one hundred nor more
than two thousand dollars, or i'm
prisOned in the Penitentiary not
more than three years, at the dis
cretion of the court.
SEC. 4. Any candidate for nomi-
nation by any political party in the
State, for any Office Of trust or profit,
who shall commit any of the acts
named in section one of this act, for
the purpose of securing the influence
of any person in his behalf, or to in
fuence any delegate voting upon
the question of his nomination, shall
be deemed guilty Of bribery, and
shall be fined not less than one hun
dred dollars, and shall be disqualified
from holding the Office, though be
be hereafter elected according to
law. The commission Of any of the
acts named in section one, during
the candidacy Of such person for
nomination for Office as aforesaid, I
shall be prima facie evidence of in
tent to influence the votes of dele
gates.
SEC 5. That whoever asks, de-
mands or receives from any candi-
date for the nomination, by any pO-
htical party or convention to any
office, or from any candidate for any
Office under any law, any money, or /
any other thing of value, not then
due and owing, or makes application
to any such candidate to purchase
any ticket to, or to give any money
or other thing Of value for, any pre-
tended ball, picnic, fair, entertain !
ment, or charitable enterprise, with
the expectation or belief that such I
demand, request or receipt will in
fuence any vote, shall be fined not
less than fifty nor more than three
hundred dollars, or imprisoned sixty
days in the County Jail, or Work
House, if there be such an institu-
ton in the county, OF both, and such
demand and request of any candi- q
date shall be deemed prima facie
proof of such expectation or belief
No prosecution shall be instituted
under any of the provisions Of this
act unless the same shall be com
meuced within six months after the
commission of the Ofense.
SEC. 6. The Prosecuting Attor 4
ney may frame his indictment with
any number of counts for different
offenses against this act that may Re
committed to affect any one election
by any one candidate, and may offer
evidence tending to support any or
all of said counts, and the jury shall
take into consideration all the evi-
de-ce offered on each of said counts
for the purpose Of establishing the
guilt of the accused On all or any Of
said counts.
SEC. Z. This act shall take effect n
and be in force from and after its i
passage. q