Last June, Crystal Mason, 44, was sentenced to five years in prison after she illegally voted in the 2016 presidential election.
What We Know:
- Mason is a convicted felon and was under supervised release at the time she voted, which is prohibited in Texas. She was unaware that she was allegedly committing another felony offense by casting her vote. Mason was under supervision after she served time in prison for tax fraud. After her name could not be located on the roll sheet at her polling place, she filled out a provisional ballot.
- The Help America Vote Act of 2002 required states to allow individuals who are uncertain about their eligibility to cast a provisional ballot. After election officials reviewed the ballot, she was determined to be ineligible to vote.
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CNN reported that on Tuesday, the three-judge panel reviewing her case in Fort Worth mainly discussed whether the provisional ballot that Mason cast actually constitutes a vote. Thomas Buser-Clancy, one of Mason’s attorneys, stated, “Ms. Mason did not vote on November 8, 2016. Ms. Mason submitted a provisional ballot and that ballot was rejected. That is not a vote in an election.” The charge she is facing is illegally voting, her ballot was rejected making it impossible for her to have committed this crime.
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The mother of three appealed the ruling on Tuesday arguing that she was unaware that she was committing another felony by participating in the election. It is unknown when a decision will be made on her case.
We will continue to follow this story and provide updates.
