---
kind: "section"
citation: "52 U.S.C. § 20511"
title: "52"
title_heading: "Voting and Elections"
number: "20511"
heading: "Criminal penalties"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/52/20511"
units:
  - "Subtitle II — Voting Assistance and Election Administration"
  - "Chapter 205 — National Voter Registration"
---

# §20511. Criminal penalties


A person, including an [election](/usc/52/20502.md?p=1) official, who in any [election](/usc/52/20502.md?p=1) for [Federal office](/usc/52/20310.md?p=3)—

- (1) knowingly and willfully intimidates, threatens, or coerces, or attempts to intimidate, threaten, or coerce, any person for—
  - (A) registering to vote, or voting, or attempting to register or vote;
  - (B) urging or aiding any person to register to vote, to vote, or to attempt to register or vote; or
  - (C) exercising any right under this chapter; or
- (2) knowingly and willfully deprives, defrauds, or attempts to deprive or defraud the residents of a [State](/usc/52/20107.md?p=5) of a fair and impartially conducted [election](/usc/52/20502.md?p=1) process, by—
  - (A) the procurement or submission of voter registration applications that are known by the person to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent under the laws of the [State](/usc/52/20107.md?p=5) in which the [election](/usc/52/20502.md?p=1) is held; or
  - (B) the procurement, casting, or tabulation of ballots that are known by the person to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent under the laws of the [State](/usc/52/20107.md?p=5) in which the [election](/usc/52/20502.md?p=1) is held,

shall be fined in accordance with [title 18](/usc/18.md) (which fines shall be paid into the general fund of the Treasury, miscellaneous receipts (pursuant to [section 3302 of title 31](/usc/31/3302.md)), notwithstanding any other law), or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.


## Source credit

(Pub. L. 103–31, § 12, May 20, 1993, 107 Stat. 88.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Codification

Section was formerly classified to section 1973gg–10 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.