By Lacie Pierson, Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia House of Delegates on Thursday adopted a bill that will increase criminal penalties for certain voting crimes.
Members of the House voted 94-0 to adopt the House Bill 4311, but even delegates who voted in support of the measure questioned whether it was necessary, while a local voting rights group called it a means to “fuel lies and conspiracy theories that the 2020 election was stolen.”
The bill establishes a crime for voting more than once, and it clarifies that a person can be convicted of knowingly and willfully attempting to vote “when not legally entitled,” assisting someone in attempting to vote illegally, or altering a ballot. Anyone who assists in causing a legal ballot to be rejected also could face a felony conviction if the bill becomes law.
Any person convicted of any of those crimes would face between one and 10 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines…
