House Passes Bill to Punish Voter Deception

Finally:

Those who knowingly convey false information with the intent to keep others from voting would face up to five years in prison under voter deception legislation that passed the House on Monday.

The legislation, passed by voice vote, was spearheaded by Democrats who cited alleged incidents during the 2006 elections of minorities, immigrants and other legal voters being misled about election dates, guided to the wrong polling sites or told they were ineligible to vote.

...The bill would make it a federal crime, subject to five years in prison and fines of up to $250,000, to knowingly provide false information with the intent to disenfranchise another person in a federal election.

It would increase from one year to five years the maximum prison term for voter intimidation, which is already a crime.

The measure also would require the attorney general to provide voters with accurate election information when allegations of deceptive practices are confirmed, and to report to Congress on allegations of deceptions after each federal election.

Democrats cited cases from the last election where naturalized citizens in California with the right to vote were sent letters in Spanish saying it was a crime for immigrants to vote, and voters in Virginia receiving calls falsely telling them they were ineligible to vote.

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., has introduced similar legislation in the Senate.

People who do that stuff are scum. I hope it passes the Senate and is signed into law as quickly as possible.