Title 18Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-73

§600 Promise of employment or other benefit for political activity

Title 18 › Part PART I— - CRIMES › Chapter CHAPTER 29— - ELECTIONS AND POLITICAL ACTIVITIES › § 600

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Promising federal jobs, pay, contracts, appointments, or other benefits made possible by Acts of Congress in return for political activity or to influence elections, primaries, conventions, or caucuses is illegal. Violators can be fined under federal law, jailed up to one year, or both.

Full Legal Text

Title 18, §600

Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Whoever, directly or indirectly, promises any employment, position, compensation, contract, appointment, or other benefit, provided for or made possible in whole or in part by any Act of Congress, or any special consideration in obtaining any such benefit, to any person as consideration, favor, or reward for any political activity or for the support of or opposition to any candidate or any political party in connection with any general or special election to any political office, or in connection with any primary election or political convention or caucus held to select candidates for any political office, 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., §§ 61b, 61g (Aug. 2, 1939, 11:50 a.m., E.S.T., ch. 410, §§ 3, 8, 53 Stat. 1147, 1148). This section consolidates section 61b and 61g of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed. Minor changes were made in phraseology.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $10,000”. 1976—Pub. L. 94–453 substituted $10,000 for $1,000 maximum allowable fine. 1972—Pub. L. 92–225 struck out “work,” after “position,”, inserted “contract, appointment,” after “compensation,” and “or any special consideration in obtaining any such benefit,” after “Act of Congress,”, and substituted “in connection with any general or special election to any political office, or in connection with any primary election or political convention or caucus held to select candidates for any political office” for “in any election”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1972 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 92–225 effective Dec. 31, 1971, or sixty days after date of enactment [Feb. 7, 1972], whichever is later, see section 408 of Pub. L. 92–225, set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 30101 of Title 52, Voting and Elections.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

18 U.S.C. § 600

Title 18Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73