Election Worker and Polling Place Protection Act

Bill: 117-s-2928
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Ossoff, Jon [D-GA]
Introduced: 2021-10-04
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Assault and harassment offenses

Crimes against property

Elections, voting, political campaign regulation

Sex offenses

Violent crime

Voting rights
Latest action: action_date: 2021-10-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Summaries:
action_date: 2021-10-04
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>Election Worker and Polling Place Protection Act</strong></p> <p>This bill expands criminal civil rights offenses involving interference with federally protected activities. </p> <p>Current law prohibits the use of force or threat of force to injure, intimidate, or interfere with an individual because of that individual's participation in certain enumerated federally protected activities (e.g., voting or jury duty).</p> <p>This bill broadens the scope of prohibited conduct to include violence or threat of harm to any person or property to injure, intimidate, or interfere with an individual because of that individual's participation in a federally protected activity.</p> <p>Additionally, with respect to voting activities, the bill extends protection to an individual who participates in an election as an agent, contractor, or vendor. Current law already protects an individual who participates as a candidate, voter, poll watcher, or election official. </p> <p>Finally, the bill establishes new offenses involving physical damage to or threats to physically damage a polling place, tabulation center, or other election infrastructure.<br> <br> </p>

tv_txt: II 117th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 2928 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES October 4, 2021 Mr. Ossoff introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To amend section 245 of title 18, United States Code, to expand protections for election workers, polling places, and other election infrastructure against threats and violence.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Election Worker and Polling Place Protection Act . 2. Federally protected activities Section 245 of title 18, United States Code, is amended— (1) in subsection (b)— (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking willfully and inserting , or violence, or threat of harm to any person or property, intentionally ; (B) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting , or any agent, contractor, or vendor of a legally authorized election official assisting in the administration of any primary, special, or general election before the semicolon at the end; and (C) in the undesignated matter following paragraph (5), by striking of this section each place it appears and inserting of this subsection ; (2) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as subsections (d) and (e), respectively; and (3) by inserting after subsection (b) the following: (c) (1) Whoever, whether or not acting under color of law, intentionally physically damages or threatens to physically damage any physical property being used as a polling place or tabulation center or other election infrastructure shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both; and if bodily injury results from the acts committed in violation of this subsection or if such acts include the use, attempted use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this subsection or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both. (2) For purposes of this subsection, de minimus damage or threats of de minimus damage to physical property, such as graffiti, shall not be considered a violation of paragraph (1). (3) In this subsection, the term election infrastructure means any office of an election official, staff, worker, or volunteer or any physical, mechanical, or electrical device, structure, or tangible item used in the process of creating, distributing, voting, returning, counting, tabulating, auditing, storing, or other handling of voter registration or ballot information. .