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{{Short description|Legal term}}{{wiktionary|personate}}
'''Personation''' (rather than [[impersonator|''im''personation]]) is a primarily [[legal term]], meaning "to assume the identity of another person with intent to deceive".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/personate|website=Collins English Dictionary|accessdate=7 June 2017|title=Personate definition and meaning &#124; Collins English Dictionary}}</ref>   It is often used for the kind of [[voter fraud]] where an individual votes in an [[election]], whilst pretending to be a different elector. It is also used when charging a person who portrays themselves as a police officer.

Personation appears as a crime in the Canadian ''[[Criminal Code (Canada)|Criminal Code]]'' with the meaning simply of impersonation.<ref>{{cite web|title=Canadian Criminal Code sec. 403|url=http://www.canlii.org/ca/sta/c-46/sec403%2Ehtml}}</ref>

In the U.S., the New York State Penal Law defines the crime of false personation as simply the act of pretending to be another, a Class B misdemeanor; those who assume the identity of another in order to further another crime can be charged with second-degree criminal impersonation, a Class A misdemeanor. Posing as a police officer for any reason, or as a physician in order to forge a prescription or otherwise obtain substances so controlled, is first-degree criminal impersonation, a Class E felony.

Many jurisdictions allow electors to nominate an individual to vote on their behalf, often known as [[proxy voting]]. Whilst voting with an invalid proxy form could be considered personation, it is usual for an [[mens rea|intent to deceive]] to be required for such an act to be considered [[crime|criminal]].

Personation is an offence in law in England and Wales: see {{Section link|List of English criminal offences|Forgery, personation and cheating}}.

== See also ==

* [[Shi (personator)]]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Electoral fraud]]


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