Texas mother who faced 5 years in prison has illegal voting conviction reversed

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CNN

Published 4:09 AM EDT, Fri March 29, 2024


CNN — A Texas mother who was sentenced to five years in prison for voting illegally in the 2016 election said she is “overjoyed” after her conviction was reversed Thursday by the Texas Second Court of Appeals. Crystal Mason, a Black mother of three, was on supervised release after serving time for tax fraud when she filled out a provisional ballot in the 2016 election. She said she did not know her status as a felon on release made her ineligible to cast a ballot.

“After considering the dispositive issue remanded to us––whether the evidence was sufficient to support Crystal Mason’s conviction for illegal voting under the Texas Election Code––we reverse the trial court’s judgment and render judgment acquitting her,” the court said in its opinion. Mason celebrated the court’s decision, which she has been waiting for since 2019, when she appealed her five-year sentence.

“I am overjoyed to see my faith rewarded today,” Mason said in a statement shared by ACLU of Texas. “I was thrown into this fight for voting rights and will keep swinging to ensure no one else has to face what I’ve endured for over six years, a political ploy where minority voting rights are under attack. I’ve cried and prayed every night for over six years straight that I would remain a free Black woman.”

After Mason was convicted, voting rights activists compared her case to other voter fraud convictions involving White defendants who received more lenient sentences.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/29/us/texas-woman-voting-conviction-reversed/index.html

[MissMillie]

1. This is excellent news

Casting a PROVISIONAL ballot should not be a crime.

[Maeve]

2. EXACTLY!

We know laws are complicated and she was given bad advice, but that is part of why we HAVE the provisional ballot--to catch errors.

The humane response to an unaccepted provisional ballot would be a call/letter saying your vote didn't get counted because A, B or C...but laws are seldom written humanely in our country.

[yellowdogintexas]

10. The ballot board would have attempted to contact her

That is done regardless of the reason the voter is not on the registry. If the voter needs to do something to clear that ballot, we let them know. If she did not receive the communication or respond, the vote would not have counted.
I suspect her parole information was found when the Ballot Board was trying to determine her eligibility. I do not know what the process is after the Ballot Board review is completed.

What I do know is that judge needs to retire.

[Maeve]

12. In Ohio, the voter has to contact the BOE to see if their provisional ballot counted

And the prosecutor that brought the charges needs to go, as well

[Hotler]

3. happy day.

[mpcamb]

5. Contrast her situation with- Georgia Republican Party official Brian Pritchard guilty of illegally voting nine times

Georgia Republican official and outspoken election denier caught voting illegally 9 times( headline- USA TODAY)

A judge has found Georgia Republican Party official Brian Pritchard guilty of illegally voting nine times over several years. Pritchard has falsely asserted Democrats had stolen the 2020 election through fraud.

Administrative Law Judge Lisa Boggs wrote in her Wednesday decision that Pritchard, the Georgia GOP’s first vice chairman, violated state election laws by voting while on probation for forgery and other felonies, and that his explanations were neither "credible or convincing."

Pritchard must pay a $5,000 fine and $375.14 in investigative costs incurred by the court. Boggs also ordered that Pritchard “be publicly reprimanded for his conduct” by the State Election Board, which sought the sanctions against him.

[Bayard]

13. Funny thing,

I haven't heard of any Democrats who were proven to having voted illegally. Anyone?

Excellent news for this lady!

[RandomNumbers]

17. Multiple instances, and he only gets a fine. She was going to get 5 years in prison.

Don't tell me, let me guess! He's white!

[atreides1]

4. How long...

...before Paxton sticks his nose into this case and attempts to get the Texas Supreme Court to overturn this decision?

[yellowdogintexas]

11. That is a good question. He is such a jerk it would not surprise me

Of course a court could refuse to hear it.

[mountain grammy]

6. Thank goodness for sanity

[yellowdogintexas]

7. So pleased to read this! This is how it should have turned out at the beginning

I work elections in Tarrant County (Fort Worth) and I would have offered a provisional ballot to Crystal. We are required to do so; in training we are told to NEVER refuse a voter.

I could not believe how hard the judge came down on her and I am glad this has been completed

[LiberalFighter]

8. Exactly. A provisional ballot is not a vote until the election officials approve it.

[LeftInTX]

16. I assume she voted provisionally because she wasn't registered. And the fine print was likely real small.

We get so many DVRs kicked out because they failed to have the voter check, "Are you United States Citizen".
Seriously, the print is so small, that no one can see it on the voter registration application.

[yellowdogintexas]

20. I don't know about your Elections folks but we have some pretty good training

however we are not trained on the fine details regarding provisional ballots.

The focus is to be sure we know what needs to be on the envelope, with emphasis on signatures from voter and election worker, that it is all sealed up then placed in the special bag which is just for provisionals. It is flaming orange which makes it easy for all the provisionals to get to the right place when we turn everything in that night

We also are not instructed to quiz a voter about circumstances which could have resulted in not being on the rolls. Usually when we can't find a voter, I will ask if they have moved a couple of times (which is usually the reason they are off the rolls) . Sometimes they are registered, just not in our county. We let them vote anyway, but their ballot will be limited to statewide races. It absolutely would never have occurred to me to ask if a voter is on parole!

Which all goes back to this: The time to confirm your registration and eligibility is NOW; this gives you plenty of time to resolve any issues.

[nwduke]

9. Now convict

Trump!🤬

[republianmushroom]

14. Excellence.

[LeftInTX]

15. So glad to hear this, but never should have happened in the first place. She should have gotten a simple warning.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

18. So will she be compensated for time served?

[LeftInTX]

19. I wish! But I doubt it.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

21. DA is overreaching

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