Year: 1879

THE SEITZ ELECTION LAW.
The following is an official copy of the
Seitz election law as finally passed by
both Houses of the Ohio Legislature.
Preserve it for reference:


AN ACT supplemental to an act en-
titled An act to preserve the purity of
elections"


SECTION /. Be it enacted by the Gen.
eral Assembly of the State of Ohio,
That it shall be unlawful for any person
who is candidate for any Office or trust
or profit, under the constitution of laws
of this 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 he is a candidate, for
the purpose of influencing or retaining
the vote of such elector, or give, or pro-
promise to give to any person or persons,
any of the above considerations of value,
to secure or retain the influence of 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
constructed to apply to hospitality at
his own residence.


Sec. g. Any person found guilty of
any of the acts found in section one,
shall be deemed guilty of bribery, and
upon conviction thereof, shall be fined
in any sum not less than five hundred
| dollars, nor more than one thousand dol
! lars, or be imprisoned in the peniten-
tiary not exceeding three years; and, if
such ofender shall have been elected to
the office for which he was candidate,
his Office shall be made vacant by con-
viction, and filled as in other cases of
vacancy; and such person shall, more
over, be forever ineligible to any
Office of trust or profit within this
state.


SEC. 8. Any person, not candidate
for office, who shall disburse, or give, OF
promise to give, any money, or other
| thing of value, or gives, or treats to any
spurious, malt or other liquors, either
directly or indirectly, shall influence
any voter in giving, or withholding his
vote, or seeks by violence or threatens to
enforce the payment of debt, or to be-
| gin criminal prosecution, or to injure
| the business of trade of any elector,
or, if any employer of laborers, or agent
of such employer, threatens to withhold
or reduce the wages, or to dismiss from
service, or refuses to allow the necessary
time to employees to attend the place OF
| election, and vote, as an inducement to
such an elector to vote contrary to his
I'm efsaatf6ns, oi amy person selling, vi
offering to sell, his influence with Other
voters, or who, for or with any consider
alton of vslue enumerated in section
one, shall seek to influence the vote Of
any elector, or to influence him to vote
or refrain from voting, shall be deemed
guilty of a felony, and upon conviction
thereof, shall be fined in any sum not les:
than one hundred, nor more than two
thousand dollars, or imprisoned in the
penitentiary, not more than three years,
at the discretion of the court.


Sec. f. Any candidate for nomination
by any political party in this state fol
any Office of trust or profit, who shal
commit any of the acts named in section
one of this act, for the purpose of secur
ing the influence of any person in hi
behalf, or to influence any delegate vot
| ing upon the question of his nomination
shall be deemed guilty of bribery, anc
shall be fined not less than one hundred
dollars, and shall he disqualified from
holding the office, though he be there
after elected according to law. TIL,
| commission of any of the acts named il
section one, during the candidacy O
such person for nomination for Office a
aforesaid, shall be prinua tacie evidence o
intent to influence the votes of delegates


SEC. 5. That whoever asks, demands
or receives from any candidate for tn
nomination, by any political party o
convention to any office, or from an.
candidate for any office, under any law
any money or other thing of value, no
then due or owing, or makes application
to any such candidate to purchase an,
ticket, or, to give any money or othe
thing of value, for any pretended ball
picnic, fair, entertainment, or charitabl
enterprise, with the expectation or be
lief that such demand, request, or re
ceipt will influence any vote, shall b
fined not less than fifty nor more thai
three hundred dollars, or imprisone
sixty days in the county Jail, or work
house, if there be such an institution i
the country, or both, and such deman
or request of any candidate shall b
deemed prima tacie proof of such ez
pectation or belief. No prosecution
shall be instituted under any of tn
provisions of this act, unless the sam
shall be commenced within six month
after the commission of the ofense.


Sec. 6. The prosecuting attorney ma,
frame his indictment with any numbe
of counts for different offenses agains
this act, that may be committed to effec
any one election, by any one candidate
and may offer evidence tending to SUI
port any, or all of said counts, and tn
jury shall take into consideration a
the evidence offered on each of sal
counts, for the purpose of establishin
the guilt of the accused on all or any @
said counts.


SEC. 7. This act shall take effect an
! be in force from and after its passage.