No person shall purchase, steal, attempt to steal, sell, attempt to sell, or willfully destroy or mutilate any initiative, supplementary, referendum, recall, or nominating petition, or any part of a petition, that is being or has been lawfully circulated; provided that the words "purchase" and "sell" do not apply to persons paying or receiving pay for soliciting signatures to or circulating a petition or petition paper.

Whoever violates this section is guilty of a felony of the fifth degree.

Effective Date: 07-01-1996 .