The Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2007 () was a bill introduced in the

110th Congress The 110th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, between January 3, 2007, and January 3, 2009, during the last two years of the Presidency of George W. Bush. It was composed of ...

of the U.S. on January 31, 2007, by Sen.

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

, Democrat of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

and Sen.

Chuck Schumer Charles Ellis Schumer ( ; born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from New York (state), New York, a seat he has held since 1999. ...

, Democrat of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. The bill was referred to the

United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally known as the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a Standing committee (United States Congress), standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the United States Departm ...

and on October 4, 2007, was referred to the Senate, although it never received a vote. A similar version of this bill was introduced by Obama in the 109th Congress on November 16, 2006 () "to protect Americans from tactics that intimidate voters and prevent them from exercising their right to vote on Election Day." During the 2006 mid-term elections, material was distributed by

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

in predominantly African American counties in Maryland falsely claiming that prominent African-American Democrats had endorsed the Republican candidates. The fliers were paid for and authorized by Senate candidate Michael S. Steele and Governor

Robert Ehrlich Robert Leroy Ehrlich Jr. (born November 25, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the List of Governors of Maryland, 60th governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, Ehrlich represe ...

, and were widely decried as fraudulent by critics. "One of our most sacred rights as Americans is the right to make our voice heard at the polls," said Obama in his introductory remarks on the 2006 bill. "But too often, we hear reports of mysterious phone calls and mailers arriving just days before an election that seek to mislead and threaten voters to keep them from the polls. And those who engage in these deceptive and underhanded campaign tactics usually target voters living in minority or low-income neighborhoods. This legislation would ensure that for the first time, these incidents are fully investigated and that those found guilty are punished." The most recent action was taken by the Senate on May 26, 2021. The bill was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

References

External links

Summary on GovTrack
Electoral fraud in the United States Works by Barack Obama Voter suppression Proposed legislation of the 110th United States Congress {{US-fed-statute-stub

See also

References

External links