New Jersey Statutes 19:34-25. Bribery
Attorney's Note
Under the New Jersey Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| crime of the second degree | between 5 and 10 years | up to $150,000 |
| crime of the third degree | between 3 and 5 years | up to $15,000 |
Terms Used In New Jersey Statutes 19:34-25
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- District board: means the district board of registry and election in an election district. See New Jersey Statutes 19:1-1
- Election: means the procedure whereby the electors of this State or any political subdivision thereof elect persons to fill public office or pass on public questions. See New Jersey Statutes 19:1-1
- Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
- Municipality: includes any city, town, borough, village, or township. See New Jersey Statutes 19:1-1
- person: includes corporations, companies, associations, societies, firms, partnerships and joint stock companies as well as individuals, unless restricted by the context to an individual as distinguished from a corporate entity or specifically restricted to one or some of the above enumerated synonyms and, when used to designate the owner of property which may be the subject of an offense, includes this State, the United States, any other State of the United States as defined infra and any foreign country or government lawfully owning or possessing property within this State. See New Jersey Statutes 1:1-2
- Political party: means a party which, at the election held for all of the members of the General Assembly next preceding the holding of any primary election held pursuant to this Title, polled for members of the General Assembly at least 10% of the total vote cast in this State. See New Jersey Statutes 19:1-1
- Public office: includes any office in the government of this State or any of its political subdivisions filled at elections by the electors of the State or political subdivision. See New Jersey Statutes 19:1-1
- State: extends to and includes any State, territory or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia and the Canal Zone. See New Jersey Statutes 1:1-2
Bribery of member of election board; acceptance. b. Whosoever shall, directly or indirectly, make or give any money or other thing of value to any member of the district board because of his membership on such board, or when it shall appear that such money or other thing of value is made or given to such member because of his membership on the board, except as hereinbefore provided as his legal compensation for service on the board, shall be guilty of a crime of the third degree.
Any member of a district board who shall, by himself, or by any other person in his behalf, receive any money or other thing of value because of his membership on such board, or when it shall appear that such money or other thing of value is accepted or received by such member because of his membership on the board, except as hereinbefore provided as his legal compensation for service on the board, shall be guilty of a crime of the third degree.
Promising office or employment. c. A person who shall directly or indirectly, by himself or by any other person in his behalf, give or procure, or agree to give or procure or offer or promise to procure, or endeavor to procure any office, place or employment to or for any voter, or to or for any person on behalf of such voter, or to or for any other person, in order to induce such voter to vote or refrain from voting, or to register or refrain from registering, or shall corruptly do any act as above because of any voter having voted or refrained from voting, or having registered or refrained from registering for any election, shall be guilty of a crime of the third degree.
Acceptance of bribe by voter. d. Any voter who shall directly or indirectly, by himself or by any other person on his behalf, receive, agree or contract for any money, gift, loan or valuable consideration, office, place or employment for himself or for any other person for voting or agreeing to vote, or for refraining or agreeing to refrain from voting at any election, or for registering or agreeing to register, or for refraining or for agreeing to refrain from registering for any election, shall be guilty of a crime of the third degree.
Bribery of delegates. e. If a person shall, directly or indirectly, give, offer or promise to give any sum or sums of money or any valuable thing in action, victuals, drink or preferment or other considerations, by way of fee, reward, gift or gratuity, or other valuable present or reward to obtain, procure or influence the opinion, behavior, vote or abstaining from voting for the election of any delegate to any convention of any political party, to nominate any candidate for member of the legislature, for member of congress, for electors for president and vice president of the United States, for governor, or for any candidate for any office in any county or municipality; or if any person being a delegate to any political convention to nominate candidates for any of the offices named in this title shall directly or indirectly, ask for, accept, receive or take any sum or sums of money, or other valuable consideration by way of fee, reward, gift or gratuity, or other valuable consideration for the giving or refusing to give his vote at any such convention, the person so offering, asking, or receiving shall be guilty of a crime of the third degree.
Bribery at election. f. Whoever shall, directly or indirectly, give, furnish, supply or promise, or cause to be given, furnished, supplied, offered or promised, to any person or persons, any money, service, preferment or valuable thing with the intent that such money or valuable thing or any other money, service, preferment or valuable thing shall be given, offered, promised or used, by any person or persons, by way of fee, reward, gift or gratuity, for giving or refusing to give any vote of any citizen, at any election of any public officer, state, county or municipal, to be held therein, or of any member of congress, of electors for president and vice president of the United States, or at any election of any delegate or delegates to any political convention to be held for the nomination of any of the officers above, or by way of gift, gratuity or reward, for giving or withholding the vote of any delegate at any such convention, shall be guilty of a crime of the third degree.
Inducing voters. g. A person who shall, directly or indirectly, by himself or by any other person in his behalf, give, lend, or agree to give or lend, or procure, or agree to procure or offer or promise to procure, or endeavor to procure, any money or other valuable consideration or thing, or any office, place or employment to or for any voter, or to or for any person, in order to induce such voter to vote or refrain from registering or voting at any election, or shall corruptly do or commit any of the acts in this section mentioned, because of any voter having voted or refrained from voting or having registered or refrained from registering for any election, shall be guilty of a crime of the third degree.
Contributions for use in bribing. h. A person who shall give, advance or pay, or cause to be given, advanced or paid, any money or other valuable thing to any person, or to the use of any person, with the intent that such money or other valuable thing, or any part thereof, shall be expended, or used for bribery of voters, or for any other unlawful purpose at any election, or who shall knowingly pay, or cause to be paid money to any person wholly or in part expended in bribery of a voter at any election, shall be guilty of a crime of the third degree.
Receiving rewards. i. A person who shall, directly or indirectly, by himself, or by any other person on his behalf, receive, agree or contract for any money, gift, loan or valuable consideration, office, place or employment for himself or for any other person for voting or agreeing to vote, or for refraining or agreeing to refrain from voting at any election, or for registering or agreeing to register, or for refraining or for agreeing to refrain from registering for any election, shall be guilty of a crime of the third degree.
Gift, or promise of, for certain purposes. j. No person shall give or agree to give for the purpose of promoting or procuring or for the purpose of opposing or preventing the election of a candidate for public office, or for the purpose of promoting or procuring or for the purpose of opposing or preventing the nomination of any person as a candidate for public office, any money or any valuable thing to be used for any of the following purposes:
1. To provide or give or to pay, wholly or in part, the expense of giving or providing any meat, drink, entertainment or provision to or for any person for the purpose of influencing that person or any other person to give or refrain from giving his vote at any election, or because of any such person or any other person having voted or refrained from voting.
2. To provide for the payment of rent for or for the purpose of providing and fitting up any clubroom for social or recreative purposes, or providing for uniforms for any organized club.
3. To provide for the payment for the insertion in any newspaper or magazine of any article tending to influence any person to give or refrain from giving his vote to any candidate or candidates at any election; or to provide for payment for the distribution of any newspaper or magazine wherein any such article is printed; or to provide for payment of the printing or of the distribution of any circular, handbill, card, pamphlet or statement tending to influence any person to give or refrain from giving his vote to any candidate at any election; but this prohibition shall not be construed to prohibit the printing and distribution of paid advertisements, which advertisements shall be indicated by the words “This advertisement has been paid for by ” (inserting the true name and address of the person or persons paying for the same); nor shall it be construed to prohibit the printing and distribution of circulars, handbills, cards, pamphlets or statements which shall have printed on the face thereof the true name and address of the person or persons paying for the printing and distribution thereof, which fact shall be indicated by the words “The cost of the printing and distribution of this circular (or as the case may be) has been paid by ” (inserting the true name and address of the person or persons paying for the same).
Accepting gifts. k. No person shall accept any money or other valuable thing, the payment of which is prohibited by paragraph “j” of this section.
Penalty. l. Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of paragraphs “j” and “k” of this section shall be guilty of a crime of the third degree, and shall for the first offense be disfranchised while serving a sentence of incarceration, and for any subsequent offense shall be disfranchised while serving a sentence of incarceration, and in addition thereto the court in which such conviction is obtained, may in case of a subsequent conviction, impose upon the person so convicted the punishment now prescribed by law for a crime of the second degree.
amended 2005, c.154, s.43; 2019, c.270, s.6.