House Bill 1225 - Election Crimes Penalty Increases

• Increases imprisonment terms from county jail (1 year maximum) to State Penitentiary for multiple election crimes, with most now carrying sentences of 2-20 years instead of 1 year.

• Raises monetary fines across election violation statutes from $1,000-$5,000 to $10,000-$20,000 for offenses including voter intimidation, ballot tampering, multiple voting, and election official misconduct.

• Enhances penalties for vote fraud and absentee ballot violations to up to 10 years imprisonment and $10,000 fines, with updated language in official ballot forms to reflect new penalty amounts.

• Changes certain election crimes from misdemeanors to felonies, including voting in multiple primary elections and paying assistants based on number of absentee ballots assisted.

• Effective date: July 1, 2022.