The Voting Right Act of 1965 is another of those pesky laws that the nullifiers would like to get rid of. Unless they do, however, (unlikely) here’s a bit of that statute they would do well to keep in mind when they’re out and about next Tuesday, trying to intimidate prospective voters:
No person, whether acting under color of law or otherwise [emphasis added], shall intimidate, threaten, or coerce, or attempt to intimidate, threaten, or coerce any person for voting or attempting to vote, or intimidate, threaten, or coerce, or attempt to intimidate, threaten, or coerce any person for urging or aiding any person to vote or attempt to vote, or intimidate, threaten, or coerce any person for exercising any powers or duties under section 3(a), 6, 8, 9, 10, or 12(e) [of the Act].
Voting Rights Act of 1965 sec. 11 (b)
If some one violates this section, here’s the penalty:
Whoever shall deprive or attempt to deprive any person of any right secured by section 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, or 10 or shall violate section 11(a) or (b), shall be fined not more than $5,000, or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
Voting Rights Act of 1965 sec. 12 (a)
This law protects the voters, but it also protects those assisting voters: people who provide transportation, vouchers, translators, and assistants to the disabled.
Minnesota has a similar provision, Minn. Stat. sec. 211B.07, which makes it illegal for any person to threaten, coerce or unduly influence another in order to compel another to vote for or against a candidate or ballot question. There are both civil and criminal penalties for violation of this section of Minnesota law, too.
2 comments:
A civil action was brought against the New Black Panther Party, but it was dismissed in Philadelphia after the 2008 election, but it was dismissed.
http://www.justice.gov/crt/voting/misc/philadelphia_bpp_comp.php
For voter intimidation to happen there has to be at least one compaintant. There were zero in the big, bad NBPP voter intimidation. The guys were kind of knuckleheads and clownish, but no one was intimidated.
Also, one of Bush's old lawyers said they were pushing the NBPP thing when there was nothing there for purely political reasons. Go figure.
Kind of like how ACORN was acquitted in federal court in both New York and California. You go with that, though.
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