(a) Any person who shall, directly or indirectly, by himself, or by any other person on his behalf, make use of, or threaten to make use of, any force, violence or restraint, or inflict, or threaten to inflict, any damage, harm or loss, upon or against any person, or by any other means attempt to intimidate or exert any undue influence, in order to induce such person to vote or refrain from voting, or on account of such person having voted or refrained from voting, at any election, or who shall, by abduction, duress or any fraudulent device or contrivance, impede or prevent the free exercise of the suffrage by any elector, or shall thereby compel, induce or prevail upon any elector either to vote or refrain from voting for or against any particular candidate or measure; or
(b) Any person who, being an employer, or acting for or on behalf of any employer, shall give any notice or information to his employees, containing any threat, either express or implied, intended or calculated to influence the political view or actions of the workmen or employees; or
(c) Any person who shall, knowingly, make or publish, or cause to be made or published, any false statement in regard to any candidate, which statement is intended or tends to affect any voting at any election whatever; or
(d) Any person who shall pay any owner, publisher, editor or employee or any newspaper or other periodical, to advocate or oppose editorially, any candidate for nomination or election, or any political party, or any measure to be submitted to the vote of the people; or any owner, publisher, editor or employee, who shall solicit or accept such payment:
Is guilty of a misdemeanor, and, on conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $10,000, or confined in jail for not more than one year, or, in the discretion of the court, shall be subject to both such fine and imprisonment.
Structure West Virginia Code
Article 8. Regulation and Control of Elections
§3-8-1. Provisions to Regulate and Control Elections
§3-8-2. Requirements for Reporting Independent Expenditures
§3-8-2b. Disclosure of Electioneering Communication
§3-8-3. Committee Treasurers; Required to Receive and Disburse Funds
§3-8-4. Treasurers and Financial Agents; Written Designation Requirements
§3-8-4a. Termination of Political Committees
§3-8-5. Detailed Accounts and Verified Financial Statements Required
§3-8-5a. Information Required in Financial Statement
§3-8-5b. Where Financial Statements and Reports Shall Be Filed; Filing Date Prescribed
§3-8-5c. Contribution Limitations
§3-8-5d. Offenses and Penalties
§3-8-5e. Pre-Candidacy Financing and Expenditures
§3-8-5f. Loans to Candidates, Organizations or Persons for Election Purposes
§3-8-5g. Prohibition on Political Contributions and Expenditures by Foreign Nationals
§3-8-6. Financial Statement Forms; Filing; Disposition
§3-8-7. Failure to File Statement; Delinquent or Incomplete Filing; Criminal and Civil Penalties
§3-8-9a. Coordinated Expenditures
§3-8-10. Use of Certain Contributions
§3-8-11. Specific Acts Forbidden; Penalties
§3-8-13. Parties Liable and Subject to Penalties
§3-8-14. Effective Date of Certain Criminal Offenses
§3-8-15. Disclosure of Contributions During Legislative Session