THE BIG ISSUE:  In 2016, after a Black woman was arrested for alleged voter fraud for  casting a provisional ballot that was not counted.  It raised questions about voter disenfranchisement.  In this case the evidence for a conviction was insufficient, a higher court ruled. The case garnered national attention and became a part of the broader fight for voting rights. 

A Texas court has reversed the conviction of Crystal Mason, a woman who as jailed for alleged illegal voting.  The acquittal comes after she fought for five years to appeal a 5-year sentence while out on a bond.  Represented by the ACLU of Texas Mason became the poster child for what political aggravation can do to a person exercising civic duty when the system is not fair. Her name id not show up on records when she cast a vote in Tarrant County. At the time she was on probation for a felony conviction. attorneys argued that she did not know she was ineligible and there was not evidence that indicated she was leading her attorneys to argue her arrest was a violation of Civil Rights.  The second court of appeals overturned her conviction on the voting matter in late March.

 

When Mason got the news she said she was humbly grateful and overjoyed by the decision.

“I am overjoyed to see my faith rewarded today,” said Crystal Mason in a statement. “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. I thank everyone whose dedication and support carried me through this time and look forward to celebrating this moment with my family and friends.”

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In addition to the ACLU Mason received legal support from the ACLU, Texas Civil Rights Project, and attorneys Alison Grinter Allen and Kim Cole. 

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“We are relieved for Ms. Mason, who has waited for too long with uncertainty about whether she would be imprisoned and separated from her family for five years simply for trying to do her civic duty,” says Thomas Buser-Clancy, senior staff attorney for the ACLU of Texas, in a statement.

 

“The harms of the criminal prosecution can never fully be undone, but this decision is vindication for Ms. Mason and a win for our democracy, which can only thrive when people can fearlessly engage in the civic process.”