West Virginia Code 3-9-19 – Violations concerning absent voters’ ballots; penalties
(a) Any person who, with the intent to commit fraud, obtains, removes, or disseminates an absent voter’s ballot, intimidates an absent voter, or completes or alters an absent voter’s ballot, is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $10,000 nor more than $20,000, imprisoned in a state correctional facility for not less than one nor more than five years, or both fined and imprisoned.
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 3-9-19
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
- Voter: shall mean any person who possesses the statutory and Constitutional qualifications for voting. See West Virginia Code 3-1-2
(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section, any person who, having procured an absent voter's official ballot or ballots, shall willfully neglect or refuse to return the same as provided in article three of this chapter, or who shall otherwise willfully violate any of the provisions of said article three of this chapter, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, on conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $250, or confined in jail for not more than three months. If the clerk of the county commission of any county, or any member of the board of ballot commissioners, or any member of the board of canvassers refuses or neglects to perform any of the duties required of him or her by any of the provisions of articles three, five and six of this chapter relating to voting by absentees or discloses to any other person or persons how any absent voter voted, he or she shall, in each instance, be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $500, or confined in jail for not more than six months.