MS HB400

Increases penalties for various election crimes from misdemeanors to felonies, raising maximum imprisonment from 1-5 years in county jail to 2-20 years in the State Penitentiary for offenses including illegal voting, multiple voting, voter intimidation, ballot box tampering, and vote fraud

Increases maximum fines for election crimes from $1,000-$5,000 to $10,000-$20,000 depending on the offense

Creates a new crime for denying a person the right to vote for reasons not provided in law, punishable by up to $10,000 fine and/or up to 10 years imprisonment

Upgrades vote fraud involving absentee ballots to a felony with penalties of up to $10,000 fine and/or up to 10 years in the State Penitentiary

Updates absentee ballot application forms and elector certificates to reflect the new increased penalty amounts for vote fraud and voter intimidation