Federal Election Crimes — Voter Intimidation, Vote Buying & Election Fraud

Federal criminal law prohibits a wide range of conduct that corrupts elections — from intimidating voters and buying votes to deploying troops at polling places and federal employees using their positions to pressure political contributions. These offenses are codified in 18 U.S.C. Chapter 29, which covers not just fraud but also the abuse of federal power to distort electoral outcomes. Penalties range from fines to five-year prison terms for the most serious offenses.

Current Law (2026)

Legal Authority

• 18 U.S.C. § 592 — Troops at polls: federal officers and employees cannot station armed troops or armed individuals at any location where a general or special election is being held
• 18 U.S.C. § 593 — Military interference: U.S. military officers and members may not interfere with state elections; they may not prescribe voter qualifications, prevent qualified voters from voting, or compel anyone to vote
• 18 U.S.C. § 594 — Voter intimidation: criminalizes intimidating, threatening, coercing, or attempting to do so to any person for the purpose of interfering with their right to vote or to vote as they choose
• 18 U.S.C. § 595 — Federal employee interference: federal, state, and territorial government administrative employees may not use their official authority or influence to interfere with elections or coerce political activity
• 18 U.S.C. § 597 — Vote buying: illegal to give, offer, ask for, accept, or receive anything of value to influence a vote; penalties double for willful violations
• 18 U.S.C. § 598 — Relief fund coercion: using federal relief or job-creation funds to coerce voting decisions is a federal crime
• 18 U.S.C. § 599 — Candidate promises of appointment: candidates who promise government positions to secure support face fines and imprisonment
• 18 U.S.C. § 600–603 — Federal employee political activity restrictions: prohibit soliciting or promising federal benefits for political support; restrict political solicitation by members of Congress and federal employees
• 18 U.S.C. § 606 — Coercion of political contributions: federal supervisors may not use their position to force employees to make political contributions; up to 3 years imprisonment
• 18 U.S.C. § 607 — Place of solicitation: soliciting or receiving political contributions in any room or building occupied by federal officers for official duties is prohibited (applies to White House, Capitol, federal agencies)
• 18 U.S.C. § 609 — Military authority to influence votes: officers using military authority to influence service members' votes face up to 5 years imprisonment
• 18 U.S.C. § 610 — Coercion of federal employees: threatening, pressuring, or ordering federal employees to engage or refuse to engage in political activity is a federal crime
• 18 U.S.C. § 611 — Non-citizen voting: knowingly voting in federal elections as a non-citizen is a federal crime; penalties include deportation consequences

What These Laws Cover

Voter intimidation (§ 594) is the broadest of these provisions — it covers any person who uses threats or coercion to interfere with another person's right to vote or to vote freely. This applies regardless of whether the intimidator is acting under color of law. Private individuals, organized groups, and government officials alike can be charged under this provision. What counts as "intimidation" has been litigated extensively; direct threats, armed presence near polling places, and systematic harassment have all been prosecuted.

Vote buying and selling (§ 597) covers both sides of the transaction. Offering money or items of value for a vote, and accepting payment for voting, are both crimes. The statute covers federal, state, territorial, and local elections — not just federal races. The "anything of value" standard is broad and has been applied to food, gifts, and other inducements.

Misuse of federal position is addressed through multiple overlapping provisions. Federal supervisors cannot tie job security, promotions, or pay to political donations (§ 606). Members of Congress and federal employees cannot solicit campaign contributions in federal buildings (§ 607). Candidates cannot promise government appointments as quid pro quos for political support (§ 599). These provisions complement the Hatch Act, which imposes civil restrictions on federal employee political activity — Chapter 29 adds the criminal enforcement layer.

Military protection of elections reflects the founders' concern about armed force in democratic processes. Federal troops cannot be stationed at polling places (§ 592). Military officers cannot prescribe voter qualifications or interfere in state elections (§ 593). Military commanders cannot use their authority to influence service members' votes (§ 609). The armed forces polling prohibition (§ 596) prevents anyone from polling service members about their political preferences while in service.

How It Affects You

If you experience voter intimidation, you can report it to the DOJ Civil Rights Division. See also Voting Rights & Election Law and Election Day Voting Rights for the civil rights protections that run alongside these criminal provisions. You can report it to the DOJ Civil Rights Division (1-800-253-3931), the FBI, or your state attorney general. Federal law allows for criminal prosecution even when state law provides no remedy — federal jurisdiction applies to all federal elections and extends to state elections when federal constitutional rights are implicated.

If you're a federal employee: The Hatch Act and criminal election statutes work together. The Hatch Act (administered by OSC) defines what political activity is prohibited; Chapter 29 of Title 18 applies criminal penalties when supervisors use their official position to coerce employees' political activity. Receiving a threatening message from a supervisor about a political donation or party affiliation can trigger both administrative Hatch Act proceedings before MSPB and criminal referral to DOJ. The OSC (osc.gov, 1-800-872-9855) handles Hatch Act complaints and can advise you confidentially on whether specific activities are permissible before you act.

If you're a candidate or campaign official: The prohibition on soliciting contributions in federal buildings (18 U.S.C. § 607) is regularly enforced. This applies to the White House, the Capitol, all federal agency buildings, and military installations — calls placed from these locations seeking political contributions are federal crimes. Many campaign finance criminal cases start with § 607 violations rather than FEC reporting violations. Brief your finance team: fundraising calls must be made from campaign offices, personal phones outside federal buildings, or other non-federal property.

If you're an election administrator or poll watcher: The voter intimidation statute (18 U.S.C. § 594) has been applied in cases involving aggressive poll challengers who physically block access, outside groups stationed near polling locations with implied threats, and targeted messaging to specific communities. DOJ's Election Day complaints hotline (1-800-253-3931) receives reports in real time on Election Day. If you're a poll watcher, review your state's specific rules plus DOJ guidance on permissible observation behavior — what's lawful varies significantly by state, and crossing the line from observation into interference can trigger federal charges.

State Variations

These are federal criminal statutes — they coexist with (and do not preempt) state election crime laws. Most states have their own voter intimidation, vote buying, and election fraud statutes that may cover the same conduct with different penalties. Federal prosecution typically occurs when federal elections are involved, when the conduct implicates constitutional rights, or when state authorities decline to act. The Department of Justice generally defers to state prosecutors for conduct affecting only state and local races unless federal interests are directly involved.

Pending Legislation

DOJ enforcement of election crime statutes is periodically contested politically. Bills to clarify the scope of voter intimidation law, expand penalties, or narrow enforcement authority have been introduced in multiple sessions of Congress. No major structural changes to 18 U.S.C. Chapter 29 are pending as of 2026.

Recent Developments

The January 6, 2021 Capitol events generated prosecution of several Chapter 29 provisions, including charges under obstruction statutes with related elections clauses. DOJ's Election Crimes Branch, which enforces Chapter 29, has pursued cases ranging from vote-buying schemes to organized voter intimidation campaigns. The expansion of mail-in voting has focused attention on absentee ballot fraud provisions, though most absentee fraud cases are prosecuted under state law.

• J6 pardons and federal election crime cases (Jan 2025): Trump's January 20, 2025 blanket pardon of approximately 1,500 January 6 defendants — including those convicted of seditious conspiracy and obstruction of Congress — represents the largest mass pardon of federal criminal defendants in U.S. history. The pardons extinguished all federal criminal liability for J6 participants, including those still awaiting sentencing. DOJ's J6 task force was disbanded. The pardons do not affect civil lawsuits against J6 participants filed by Capitol Police officers or Congress members.
• Trump DOJ and election crime re-focus: The Trump DOJ's Election Crimes Branch shifted focus from election interference cases (the Biden DOJ's state election subversion investigations against Trump allies) to voter fraud and election administration integrity cases. AG Bondi directed the FBI and Election Crimes Branch to prioritize prosecutions of alleged non-citizen voting, absentee ballot fraud, and election official misconduct. Critics noted that prosecuted cases of non-citizen voting are extremely rare; defenders argued the shift corrected a politicized enforcement posture.
• SAVE Act and non-citizen voting enforcement: The SAVE Act (pending in the 119th Congress) would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. The bill's supporters argue it would prevent non-citizen voting; opponents note that federal law already prohibits non-citizen voting (18 U.S.C. § 611) and that documented non-citizen voting is extraordinarily rare. The intersection of the SAVE Act with state voter registration systems and the NVRA (National Voter Registration Act) creates enforcement complexity that DOJ would need to navigate.
• 2024 election prosecutions: Georgia election workers: State and federal cases arising from Trump allies' pressure on Georgia election officials following the 2020 election continued through 2024. The federal charges against Trump under 18 U.S.C. § 371 (conspiracy to defraud the United States) were dismissed after Trump's election under DOJ policy against prosecuting a sitting president. Georgia state charges remain; the state case raised overlapping federal election crime questions about the line between political pressure and criminal obstruction of election administration.