User:WikiWonder1/Election Jamming Prevention Act

Election Jamming Prevention Act of 2006
History

The formal name of the bill introduced in the senate is "A bill to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the use of telecommunications devices for the purposes of preventing or obstructing the broadcast or exchange of election-related information."Bill #S 4102 IS, was read twice by the 109th Congress during the 2nd session, December 7th 2006. Subsequently the bill was referred to Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. This bill was introduced by the Junior Senator of Illinois Barack Obama.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the bill is insure that no US citizen will be obstructed or hampered in their efforts to vote.

(1) IN GENERAL- Subparagraph (C) of section 223(a)(1) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 223(a)(1)(C)) is amended by striking `with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any person at the called number or who receives the communications;' and inserting `with the intent to--

(i) annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any person at the called number or who receives the communications;

(ii) prevent or obstruct the broadcast or exchange of election-related information; or

(iii) impair or obstruct any other telecommunications device from being used to engage in communications containing election-related information;'[. Furthermore the text of the bill describes what it considers to be "election-related information": (A) the endorsement, support, promotion of, or opposition to any clearly identified candidate or slate of candidates for the office of President, Vice President, presidential elector, Member of the Senate, Member of the House of Representatives, or Delegate or Commissioner from a territory or possession;

(B) the time, place, or manner for the election of such offices; or

(C) the facilitation of transport to or from polling places for any such election.'.

Findings

For many decades the right to vote has not always been honored. Poll taxes, intelligence tests, and even some states required a voter be a property holder, have kept the right to vote out of reach for some. Currently there are much fewer criteria, (US citizenship, non-felon, residing in voting precinct, etc.) but now some individuals and organizations have been using modern telecommunications technology to thwart the efforts of organizations encouraging voter registration. Many voters rely on these organizations to find current information about where and when to vote.