Tarrant County DA wants Crystal Mason’s illegal voting conviction reinstated

By Berenice Garcia, The Texas TribuneApril 25, 2024 “Tarrant County DA wants Crystal Mason’s illegal voting conviction reinstated” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Sign up for the We the Texans newsletter to receive twice-monthly updates on our year-long initiative dedicated to boosting civic engagement and chronicling how democracy is experienced in Texas. Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells wants Crystal Mason’s illegal voting conviction reinstated, his office announced Thursday. Mason, a Tarrant County resident, was acquitted of an illegal voting charge last month. Sorrells’ office is now asking the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to overturn the ruling that cleared her. Mason was convicted of illegal voting in March 2018 and sentenced to five years in prison for casting a provisional ballot in the 2016 election while on supervised release for federal tax evasion. “This office will protect the ballot box from fraudsters who think our laws don’t apply to them,” Sorrells’ office said in a statement. The office argues the Second Court of Appeals did not give proper deference to the trial court’s guilty verdict...