§ 4.44.130. Prohibited practices.

A.

A person shall not:

1.

Directly or indirectly, personally or by another, give or offer or promise to any person any money, gift, advantage, preferment, aid, emolument or any valuable thing whatever, for the purpose of inducing or procuring any person to vote, or refrain from voting, for or against any person, or for or against any measure or proposition at any election;

2.

Directly or indirectly, receive, accept, request or solicit from any person, candidate, committee, association, organization or corporation, any money, gift, advantage, preferment, aid, emolument, or any valuable thing whatsoever, for the purpose of inducing or procuring any person to vote, or refrain from voting, for or against any person, or for or against any measure or proposition at any election;

3.

In consideration of any money, gift, advantage, preferment, aid, emolument, or any valuable thing whatsoever, paid, received, accepted, or promised to the advantage of that person or any other person, vote or refrain from voting for or against any person, or for or against any measure at any election;

4.

Directly or indirectly, pay, give, contribute or promise any money or other valuable thing, to defray, or towards defraying the costs or expenses of any campaign or election, to any person, committee, company, organization or association, other than to a treasurer; however, this subsection does not apply to dues regularly paid for membership in any political club if all money expended by the club or in connection with the costs or expenses of any campaign or election will be paid out by the club only through a treasurer as provided in this chapter, or to volunteered time, personal vehicles, personal advertising or costs and expenses incident to the expression of personal views in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.44.060;

5.

Directly or indirectly, personally or through another person, make a payment, or promise of payment, to a treasurer, or candidate, in any other name than the person's own; nor shall a treasurer or candidate knowingly receive a payment, or promise of payment, and enter the same or cause the same to be entered in the treasurer's accounts in any other name than that of the person by whom the payment or promise of payment is made;

6.

Being an employer, pay one's employees the salary or wages due in "pay envelopes," upon which there is written or printed or in which there is enclosed any political motto, device or argument containing threats, express or implied, intended or calculated to influence the political opinions or actions of the employees, or within ninety days of an election put, or otherwise exhibit in the establishment or place where one's employees are engaged in labor, any handbill or placard containing any threat, notice or information that if any particular ticket or candidate is elected or defeated, work in one's place or establishment will cease, in whole or in part, the establishment be closed up or the wages of one's employees reduced, or other threats, express or implied, intended or calculated to influence the political opinions or actions of one's employees;

7.

Publish or distribute by any written or electronic means including but not limited to any pamphlet, circular, card, sample ballot, dodger, poster, advertisement or any printed, multigraphed, photographed, typewritten or written matter or statement or any matter or statement which may be copied by any device or method now known for printing or copying or which may be used for making copies or printed or written matter in any form whatever for publication or distribution, relating to or concerning any candidate, including a write-in candidate, or prospective candidate for public or party office or for the acceptance or defeat of any proposition unless the pamphlet, circular, card, sample ballot, dodger, poster, advertisement or other form of publication described in this subsection clearly indicates the name of the candidate or committee responsible for the literature and contains, but set apart from the name of the candidate or committee, an authority line which includes the name and address of the person, treasurer or campaign manager responsible for the publication or its distribution; except, that if the person, treasurer or campaign manager has furnished the address to the appropriate board, the literature need not contain an address, except that this paragraph does not apply to a person exercising the rights described in Section 4.44.060;

8.

Being a candidate, make any payment, contribution, expenditure or promote or incur any liability to pay, contribute or expend from personal financial resources any money or thing in value in excess of that authorized by this chapter;

9.

Contribute, in any one election cycle, any money, or tangible thing of value greater than:

a.

One thousand dollars to any candidate for Alderman; and

b.

Two thousand five hundred dollars to any candidate for Mayor.

B.

Exceptions. Contributions by a candidate to the candidate's own campaign are exempted from the limitations set forth in this section.

C.

Every person who is guilty of any prohibited practices described in this section shall be punished as provided in Chapter 1.20 of this code for a misdemeanor, and shall be ineligible for any public or party office, for the period of four years from and after the time of the commission of the offense.

(Ord. O-33-07 Revised Amended § 1 (part), 2008: Ord. O-4-97 § 1; Ord. O-39-91 § 1 (part); prior code § 7A-134)

(Ord. No. O-21-16 Amended, § I, 6-20-2016)