(a) No person shall, directly or indirectly, knowingly make or cause to be made a telecommunication, or knowingly permit a telecommunication to be made from a telecommunication device under such person's control, to a precinct election official or voting location manager with the intent to threaten, intimidate, menace, coerce, abuse, or harass such person regarding or in connection with such person's duties or responsibilities regarding any past, current, or future general, primary, or special election.
(b) No person shall, directly or indirectly, knowingly engage in conduct or any form of communication or knowingly encourage another to engage in such conduct or communication with a precinct election official or voting location manager with the intent to threaten, intimidate, menace, coerce, abuse, or harass such person regarding or in connection with such person's duties or responsibilities regarding any past, current, or future general, primary, or special election.
(c) The telecommunication, conduct, or communication prohibited against a precinct election official or voting location manager in divisions (a) and (b), above, shall be similarly prohibited against such precinct election official's or voting location manager's immediate family, parents, grandparents, and grandchildren, and any member of the precinct election official's or voting location manager's household.
(d) As used in this section "telecommunication" has the same meaning as in R.C. § 2913.01 and without limitation shall include, but not be limited to, any email, voicemail, fax, text, instant message, communication over or through any social media platform, and any other form of digital, electronic, or telephonic communication. As used in this section "telecommunications device" has the same meaning as in R.C. § 2913.01. As used in this section "communication" shall include, any other method of communication not set forth above including, but not limited to, any communication via U.S. Mail, private mail service, private delivery service, by in-person conduct, or through any other method intended to communicate with a precinct election official or voting location manager.
(e) As used in this section a "precinct election official" is an individual who has at any time been appointed as a precinct election official by the Franklin County Board of Elections pursuant to R.C. § 3501.22.
(f) As used in this section, a "voting location manager" is an individual who has at any time been designated as a voting location manager by the Franklin County Board of Elections pursuant to R.C. § 3501.22.
(g) A violation of this section shall be a misdemeanor of the first degree. The court shall impose a mandatory term of imprisonment of at least three days, which shall not be suspended.
(Ord. 38-22. Passed 10-25-22.)