HB0139 • 2023

Intimidation of election officials-doxing.

AN ACT relating to elections; creating a new criminal offense of intimidation of election officials as specified; providing a definition; and providing for an effective date.

Crime Elections Labor

Inactive

Wyoming marks this bill as inactive, which usually means it is no longer moving in the current session.

Sponsor: Representative Yin
Last action: 2023-02-07
Official status: inactive
Effective date: 3/1/2023

Plain English Breakdown

The bill did not pass and was marked as inactive by Wyoming's legislature.

Law to Protect Election Officials from Intimidation

The bill proposes creating a new criminal offense for intimidating election officials by threatening violence or economic loss, and making personal information available on the internet if it poses an imminent threat to their safety.

What This Bill Does

Creates a new crime called 'intimidation of election officials'.
Defines intimidation as threatening an official with violence or economic loss to stop them from doing their job fairly.
Makes it illegal to share personal information about election officials online if it poses an imminent and serious threat to their safety.

Who It Names or Affects

Election officials who could face threats or have their personal information shared online without permission.
People who might threaten election workers or share private details about them on the internet.

Terms To Know

Intimidation: Trying to scare someone into doing something they wouldn't normally do, like threatening violence or loss of job.
Personal information: Details about a person that could be used to harm them, such as their address or phone number.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill did not pass and is no longer active.
It was meant to take effect on July 1, 2023, but since it didn't pass, this date does not apply.

Bill History

2023-02-07 House
H:Died in Committee Returned Bill Pursuant to HR 5-4
2023-02-07 House
H No report prior to CoW Cutoff
2023-01-17 House
H Introduced and Referred to H04 - Education
2023-01-16 House
H Received for Introduction
2023-01-15 LSO
Bill Number Assigned

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

23LSO-0526
2023
STATE OF WYOMING
23LSO-0526
Numbered
2.0

HOUSE BILL NO. HB0139

Intimidation of election officials-doxing.

Sponsored by: Representative(s) Yin and Zwonitzer, Dn and Senator(s) Case

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to elections; creating a new criminal offense of intimidation of election officials as specified; providing a definition; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 22
‑
26
‑
111(a)(i), (ii) and by creating a new paragraph (iii) is amended to read:

22
‑
26
‑
111.

Intimidation.

(a)

Intimidation consists of:

(i)

Inducing, or attempting to induce, fear in an election official or elector by use of threats of force, violence, harm or loss, or any form of economic retaliation, for the purpose of impeding or preventing the free exercise of the elective franchise or the impartial administration of the Election Code;
or

(ii)

Soliciting the contribution of funds, other items of value or election assistance to the campaign of any candidate, candidate's committee, political action committee or sponsors of a ballot proposition, by use of threats of physical violence or any form of economic or official retaliation
;
.

(iii)

Knowingly making available on the internet personal information about an election official or an election official's immediate family if the dissemination of personal information poses an imminent and serious threat to the safety of the election official or the election official's immediate family and the person making the information available on the internet knows or reasonably should know of the imminent and serious threat. For purposes of this paragraph, "personal information" means a person's home address, home telephone number, personal mobile telephone number, pager number, personal email address, a photograph of a person, directions to a person's home or a photograph or description of a person's home, vehicle or vehicle license plate.

Section 2
.

This act is effective July 1, 2023
.

(END)

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HB0139