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ILLEGAL BBQ SAUCE?

In the Republican primary for Congressional District 30, Amir Omar is running against Wilson Aurbach. I recently got a dispatch from the Aurbach camp claiming that Omar might be violating election laws--with barbecue sauce. Campaign workers for Omar have been leaving bottles of sauce along with campaign materials at the homes of voters who have Aurbach signs in their yards. The Aurbach camps says:

Omar's mass distribution of barbeque sauce to voters tastes like an illegal vote-buying scheme. In a similar case in 2000, Democratic operatives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, were convicted of violating federal criminal law for handing out cigarettes to potential voters.

Developing.

Update: Relevant federal statutes below:

18 U.S.C. § 597

Expenditures to influence voting
Release date: 2005-08-03

"Whoever makes or offers to make an expenditure to any person, either to vote or withhold his vote, or to vote for or against any candidate; and Whoever solicits, accepts, or receives any such expenditure in consideration of his vote or the withholding of his vote- Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if the violation was willful, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both."


42 U.S.C.A. § 1973i(c)

Prohibited acts


(c) False information in registering or voting; penalties

Whoever knowingly or willfully gives false information as to his name, address or period of residence in the voting district for the purpose of establishing his eligibility to register or vote, or conspires with another individual for the purpose of encouraging his false registration to vote or illegal voting, or pays or offers to pay or accepts payment either for registration to vote or for voting shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both: Provided, however, That this provision shall be applicable only to general, special, or primary elections held solely or in part for the purpose of selecting or electing any candidate for the office of President, Vice President, presidential elector, Member of the United States Senate, Member of the United States House of Representatives, Delegate from the District of Columbia, Guam, or the Virgin Islands, or Resident Commissioner of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Tim Rogers · February 27, 2006 09:12 AM