Error processing SSI file
Error processing SSI file

07-S453 on Mar 1, 2007

Makes it unlawful for anyone before or during a federal election to knowingly communicate false election-related information about that election, with the intent to prevent another person from exercising the right to vote. Increases from one year to five years' imprisonment the criminal penalty for intimidation of voters.

Introductory statement by Sponsor:

Sen. OBAMA: This bill seeks to address the all-too-common efforts to deceive voters in order to keep them away from the polls. It's hard to imagine that we even need a bill like this. But, unfortunately, there are people who will stop at nothing to try to deceive voters and keep them away from the polls. What's worse, these practices often target and exploit vulnerable populations, such as minorities, the disabled, or the poor. We saw countless examples in this past election.

Spanish that, "if you are an immigrant, voting in a federal election is a crime that can result in incarceration."
  • Or the voters in Virginia who received calls from a so-called "Virginia Elections Commission" informing them--falsely--that they were ineligible to vote.
  • Or the voters who were told that they couldn't vote if they had family members who had been convicted of a crime.Of course, these so-called warnings have no basis in fact, and are made with only one goal in mind--to keep Americans away from the polls. We see these problems election after election, and my hope is that this bill will finally stop these practices. This bill makes voter intimidation & deception punishable by law, and it contains strong penalties. The bill also seeks to address the real harm of these crimes--people who are prevented from voting by misinformation--by establishing a process for reaching out to these misinformed voters with accurate information so they can cast their votes in time.



    • Democrats participating in 07-S453

    Barbara Boxer s1oCA Democratic incumbent
    Robert Brady s1oPennsylvania Democrat
    Corrine Brown s1oFlorida Democrat
    Sherrod Brown s1oOH Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep.
    G.K. Butterfield s1oNorth Carolina Democrat
    Lois Capps s1oCalifornia Democrat
    Benjamin Cardin s1oMaryland Democrat
    William Lacy Clay s1oMissouri Democrat
    Emmanuel Cleaver s1oMissouri Democrat
    Hillary Clinton s1oNY Democrat Jr Senator
    Steve Cohen s1oTennessee Democrat
    John Conyers s1oMichigan Democrat
    Henry Cuellar s1oTexas Democrat
    Elijah Cummings s1oMaryland Democrat
    Artur Davis s1oAlabama Democrat
    Bill Delahunt s1oMassachusetts Democrat
    Richard Durbin s1oIL Democrat Sr Senator
    Keith Ellison s1oMinnesota Democrat
    Rahm Emanuel s1pIllinois Democrat
    Eliot Engel s1oNew York Democrat/Liberal
    Anna Eshoo s1oCalifornia Democrat
    Chaka Fattah s1oPennsylvania Democrat
    Russell Feingold s1oPOTUS Democrat
    Dianne Feinstein s1oCA Democrat Sr Senator
    Barney Frank s1oMassachusetts Democrat
    Charles Gonzalez s1oTexas Democrat
    Al Green s1oTexas Democrat
    Raul Grijalva s1oArizona Democrat
    Phil Hare s1oIllinois Democrat
    Alcee Hastings s1oFlorida Democrat
    Rush Holt s1oNew Jersey Democrat
    Mike Honda s1oCalifornia Democrat
    Sheila Jackson Lee s1oTexas Democrat
    Hank Johnson s1oGeorgia Democrat
    Tim Johnson s1oSD Democrat Sr Senator
    Ted Kennedy s1oMA Democrat Sr Senator
    John Kerry s1oMA Democrat Jr Senator
    Carolyn Kilpatrick s1oMichigan Democrat
    Mary Landrieu s1oLA Democrat Sr Senator
    John Larson s1oConnecticut Democrat
    Frank Lautenberg s1oNJ Democrat Sr Senator
    Patrick Leahy s1oVT Democratic incumbent
    Carl Levin s1oMI Democrat Sr Senator
    Sander Levin s1oMichigan Democrat
    John Lewis s1oGeorgia Democrat
    Nita Lowey s1oNew York Democrat
    Carolyn Maloney s1oNew York Democrat/Liberal
    Doris Matsui s1oCalifornia Democrat
    Claire McCaskill s1oMO Democratic Jr Senator; previously state Auditor
    Jim McGovern s1oMassachusetts Democrat
    Robert Menendez s1oNew Jersey Democrat
    George Miller s1oCalifornia Democrat
    James Moran s1oVirginia Democrat
    Jerrold Nadler s1oNew York Dem./Lib./Working-Families
    Grace Napolitano s1oCalifornia Democrat
    Eleanor Holmes Norton s1oDistrict of Columbia Democrat
    Barack Obama s1pIL Democratic Jr Senator
    Solomon Ortiz s1oTexas Democrat
    Donald Payne s1oNew Jersey Democrat
    David Eugene Price s1oNorth Carolina Democrat
    Charles Rangel s1oNew York Dem./Lib./Working-Families
    Silvestre Reyes s1oTexas Democrat
    Bobby Rush s1oIllinois Democrat
    Linda Sanchez s1oCalifornia Democrat
    Loretta Sanchez s1oCalifornia Democrat
    Jan Schakowsky s1oIllinois Democrat
    Charles Schumer s1oNY Democratic incumbent
    Bobby Scott s1oVirginia Democrat
    Jose Serrano s1oNew York Democrat/Liberal
    Heath Shuler s1oNorth Carolina Democrat
    Albio Sires s1oNew Jersey Democrat
    Chris Van Hollen s1oMaryland Democrat
    Debbie Wasserman Schultz s1oFlorida Democrat
    Maxine Waters s1oCalifornia Democrat
    Mel Watt s1oNorth Carolina Democrat
    Robert Wexler s1oFlorida Democrat
    Sheldon Whitehouse s1oRI Democratic Jr Senator, previously attorney general
    Lynn Woolsey s1oCalifornia Democrat
    Ron Wyden s1oOR Democratic incumbent
    Albert Wynn s1oMaryland Democrat



    Republicans participating in 07-S453

    Tom Coburn s1oOK Republican Jr Senator; previously US Rep



    Independents participating in 07-S453



    Total recorded by OnTheIssues:

    Democrats: 80
    Republicans: 1
    Independents: 0