1958: Death to candidates and voters

Cuba History Timeline Events
October 10, 1958
On October 10th Castro decreed Revolutionary Law Number 2 from the Sierra Maestra, ordering the boycott of the elections and serving a death sentence or ten years prison term for all who participated in the elections in any way, including voters, campaign workers or candidates. It was not an idle threat. Carlos Márquez-Sterling barely survived an attempt on his life. Others were less fortunate, including Anibal Vega (Free Peoples Party) and Nicolás Rivero Agüero (brother of the Government party Presidential candidate) who were both assassinated. Castro further announced his orders that citizens in line at polling places should be machine gunned to death.

Contemporaneous news reports of these developments included New York Times stories about Revolutionary Law #2 and Castro's war on elections which noted that

It is reported that Señor Castro has issued orders to his insurgents and to groups of youthful militia throughout the island to prevent the Nov. 3 elections at any cost.

based on Manuel Márquez-Sterling's Cuba 1952-1959 and
Cuba 1952-1959 Interactive Timeline