18 U.S.C. § 593
Section 593 · Interference by armed forces
Amended 2 times on record
Applied in 8 court decisions — leading case McNabb v. United States (1943)
Most recently applied in 140 Md. App. 607 - Bey v. State (September 2001)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
Whoever, being an officer or member of the Armed Forces of the United States, prescribes or fixes or attempts to prescribe or fix, whether by proclamation, order or otherwise, the qualifications of voters at any election in any State; or
Whoever, being such officer or member, prevents or attempts to prevent by force, threat, intimidation, advice or otherwise any qualified voter of any State from fully exercising the right of suffrage at any general or special election; or
Whoever, being such officer or member, orders or compels or attempts to compel any election officer in any State to receive a vote from a person not legally qualified to vote; or
Whoever, being such officer or member, imposes or attempts to impose any regulations for conducting any general or special election in a State, different from those prescribed by law; or
Whoever, being such officer or member, interferes in any manner with an election officer's discharge of his duties—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both; and disqualified from holding any office of honor, profit or trust under the United States.
This section shall not prevent any officer or member of the Armed Forces from exercising the right of suffrage in any district to which he may belong, if otherwise qualified according to the laws of the State of such district.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §§56–59 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, §§23–26, 35 Stat. 1092, 1093).
Four sections were consolidated with only such changes of phraseology as were necessary to effect the consolidation.
Amendments
1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $5,000” in sixth par.
Cross References
Disqualification from holding any office of honor, trust, or profit, additional grounds for, see sections 592, 1901, 2071, 2381, 2385, and 2387 of this title.
Interference by Army or Navy officers with freedom of elections, see section 1972 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare.