Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-73
§594 Intimidation of voters
Title 18 › Part PART I— - CRIMES › Chapter CHAPTER 29— - ELECTIONS AND POLITICAL ACTIVITIES › § 594
Summary
Intimidating, threatening, or forcing someone to stop them voting or to control how they vote in elections for President, Vice President, members of Congress, the D.C. Delegate, or the Resident Commissioner is illegal and can be fined or jailed not more than one year, or both.
Full Legal Text
Title 18, §594
Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Whoever intimidates, threatens, coerces, or attempts to intimidate, threaten, or coerce, any other person for the purpose of interfering with the right of such other person to vote or to vote as he may choose, or of causing such other person to vote for, or not to vote for, any candidate for the office of President, Vice President, Presidential elector, Member of the Senate, Member of the House of Representatives, Delegate from the District of Columbia, or Resident Commissioner, at any election held solely or in part for the purpose of electing such candidate, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §§ 61, 61g (Aug. 2, 1939, 11:50 a.m. E.S.T., ch. 410, §§ 1, 8, 53 Stat. 1147, 1148). This section consolidates section 61 and 61g of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., with changes in phraseology only.
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $1,000”. 1970—Pub. L. 91–405 substituted “Delegate from the District of Columbia, or Resident Commissioner” for “Delegates or Commissioners from the Territories and possessions”.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1970 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 91–405 effective Sept. 22, 1970, see section 206(b) of Pub. L. 91–405, set out as an
Effective Date
note under section 25a of Title 2, The Congress.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
18 U.S.C. § 594
Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73