DELAWARE .- A proposed bill would increase penalties for people who use violence or threats of violence to interfere with elections.
House Bill 301 would broaden the existing crime of “breach of peace or violence on Election Day” and increase potential penalties for people who violate the law.
Under the bill, anyone who uses “violence or threats of violence at or near a polling place, a Department of Elections office, or a meeting of the Board of Canvass” would face a Class G felony charge. The offense carries a presumptive sentence of six months in prison at Level V.
The same penalty would apply to “a breach of peace intended to impede, hinder, or interfere with the peaceful conduct of the election or reading and counting of ballots.”
HB 301 is pending action in the House Elections & Government Affairs Committee. The proposal comes during an election year.