| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to voter intimidation; creating s. |
| 3 | 104.0615, F.S.; providing a popular name; prohibiting a |
| 4 | person from using or threatening to use force, violence, |
| 5 | or intimidation to induce or compel an individual to vote |
| 6 | or refrain from voting, to refrain from registering to |
| 7 | vote, or to refrain from acting as an election official or |
| 8 | poll watcher; prohibiting a person from knowingly using |
| 9 | false information to challenge an individual's right to |
| 10 | vote, to induce or attempt to induce an individual to |
| 11 | refrain from voting or registering to vote, or to induce |
| 12 | or attempt to induce an individual to refrain from acting |
| 13 | as an election official or poll watcher; prohibiting a |
| 14 | person from knowingly destroying, mutilating, or defacing |
| 15 | a voter registration form or election ballot or |
| 16 | obstructing or delaying the delivery of a voter |
| 17 | registration form or election ballot; providing criminal |
| 18 | penalties; providing an effective date. |
| 19 |
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| 20 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 21 |
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| 22 | Section 1. Section 104.0615, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 23 | to read: |
| 24 | 104.0615 Voter intimidation or suppression prohibited; |
| 25 | criminal penalties.-- |
| 26 | (1) This act may be cited as the "Voter Protection Act." |
| 27 | (2) A person may not directly or indirectly use or |
| 28 | threaten to use force, violence, or intimidation or any tactic |
| 29 | of coercion or intimidation to induce or compel an individual |
| 30 | to: |
| 31 | (a) Vote or refrain from voting; |
| 32 | (b) Vote or refrain from voting for any particular |
| 33 | individual or ballot measure; |
| 34 | (c) Refrain from registering to vote; or |
| 35 | (d) Refrain from acting as a legally authorized election |
| 36 | official or poll watcher. |
| 37 | (3) A person may not knowingly use false information to: |
| 38 | (a) Challenge an individual's right to vote; |
| 39 | (b) Induce or attempt to induce an individual to refrain |
| 40 | from voting or registering to vote; or |
| 41 | (c) Induce or attempt to induce an individual to refrain |
| 42 | from acting as a legally authorized election official or poll |
| 43 | watcher. |
| 44 | (4) A person may not knowingly destroy, mutilate, or |
| 45 | deface a voter registration form or election ballot or obstruct |
| 46 | or delay the delivery of a voter registration form or election |
| 47 | ballot. |
| 48 | (5) A person who violates subsection (2) commits a felony |
| 49 | of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. |
| 50 | 775.083, or s. 775.084. A person who violates subsection (3) or |
| 51 | subsection (4) commits a felony of the third degree, punishable |
| 52 | as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084. |
| 53 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2005. |