[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10154 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                               H. R. 10154

   To amend the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to prohibit destroying or 
             damaging ballot boxes, and for other purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 18, 2024

    Mr. Gottheimer (for himself and Ms. Malliotakis) introduced the 
  following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

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                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to prohibit destroying or 
             damaging ballot boxes, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Ballot Box Protection Act''.

SEC. 2. DESTRUCTION OF BALLOT BOXES PROHIBITED.

    Section 12 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10308) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (c) through (f) as 
        subsections (d) through (g), respectively;
            (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the following:
    ``(c) Whoever destroys or damages an in-person, secured, and 
clearly labeled boxes at which individuals may drop off voted ballots 
in an election for Federal office with the intent to destroy or damage 
a voted ballot--
            ``(1) if no voted ballot is damaged or destroyed, shall be 
        fined not more $20,000 for each such box, or imprisoned not 
        more than 20 years, or both; or
            ``(2) if a voted ballot is damaged or destroyed, shall be 
        fined not more than $20,000 for each such voted ballot, or 
        imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.''; and
            (3) in subsection (d), as so redesignated, is amended by 
        adding at the end the following: ``Whoever conspires to violate 
        the provisions of subsection (c) of this section shall be 
        punished as provided under such subsection.''.
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