---
kind: "section"
citation: "52 U.S.C. § 20702"
title: "52"
title_heading: "Voting and Elections"
number: "20702"
heading: "Theft, destruction, concealment, mutilation, or alteration of records or papers; penalties"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/52/20702"
units:
  - "Subtitle II — Voting Assistance and Election Administration"
  - "Chapter 207 — Federal Election Records"
---

# §20702. Theft, destruction, concealment, mutilation, or alteration of records or papers; penalties


Any person, whether or not an officer of [election](/usc/52/20502.md?p=1) or custodian, who willfully steals, destroys, conceals, mutilates, or alters any record or paper required by [section 20701 of this title](/usc/52/20701.md) to be retained and preserved shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.


## Source credit

(Pub. L. 86–449, title III, § 302, May 6, 1960, 74 Stat. 88.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Codification

Section was formerly classified to section 1974a of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.