AB 227

Current law prohibits certain kinds of election bribery, including offering, giving, lending, or providing money or anything of value to an elector or other person to induce the elector to vote or refrain from voting. Under current law, “anything of value” includes an object having utility independent of a political message it contains, the value of which exceeds $1. Election bribery is a Class I felony, the penalty for which is a fine not to exceed $10,000 or imprisonment not to exceed three years and six months, or both.

This bill prohibits as election bribery such inducement of an elector to sign or refrain from signing a petition supporting or opposing a candidate, referendum, or proposition about political or social issues, state law, or proposed or potential legislation, if the petition is related to an election or referendum or is circulated during an election period, as defined in the bill.

Additionally, the bill prohibits as election bribery such inducement of an elector to sign or refrain from signing nomination papers or a recall petition.

Finally, the bill defines “anything of value” for purposes of a violation of the bill’s provisions to include an object having utility independent of a political message it contains, if the object’s value exceeds $5, rather than 1$.