FORT WORTH, Texas — The Texas Second Court of Appeals on Thursday reversed the conviction of a Fort Worth mother of three who faced five years in prison for voting illegally in 2016.

What You Need To Know

  • The Texas Second Court of Appeals on Thursday reversed the conviction of a Fort Worth mother of three who faced five years in prison for voting illegally in 2016

  • Crystal Mason filled out a provisional ballot for the 2016 presidential election in Tarrant County while on parole for tax fraud, not realizing she was ineligible to vote under Texas law. Her vote was not counted and she was sentenced to five years in prison in 2018
  • Mason appealed the sentence, and in May 2022, the tide turned when she won a key ruling in the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals that ordered a lower court to review whether there was enough evidence to hand her a conviction

  • In its ruling Thursday, the court said the evidence presented was “insufficient to support the conclusion that Mason actually realized that she voted knowing that she was ineligible to do so and, therefore, insufficient to support her conviction for illegal voting”

During the 2016 presidential election, Crystal Mason filled out a provisional ballot in Tarrant County while on parole for tax fraud, not realizing she was ineligible to vote under Texas law.

Mason and her attorney maintained it was an honest mistake, and that Mason didn’t know she wasn’t eligible to cast a ballot — the sole letter notifying her was sent while she was incarcerated, so she did not receive it, CNN reports. Another notice appeared on the side of her provisional ballot, which Mason did not see.

But prosecutors argued Mason signed the ballot with the intention to vote illegally. Her vote was not counted and she was sentenced to five years in prison in 2018.

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Mason appealed the sentence, and in May 2022, the tide turned when she won a key ruling in the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals that ordered a lower court to review whether there was enough evidence to hand her a conviction. Two years later, Mason has now been acquitted.

“I am overjoyed to see my faith rewarded today,” said Mason. “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.”

In its ruling Thursday, the court said the evidence presented was “insufficient to support the conclusion that Mason actually realized that she voted knowing that she was ineligible to do so and, therefore, insufficient to support her conviction for illegal voting.”

The American Civil Liberties Union, which represented Mason, called the ruling “a major victory for voting rights.”

“This should never have happened. Crystal and her family have suffered for over six years as the target of a vanity project by Texas political leaders,” said Alison Grinter Allen, criminal defense attorney. “We’re happy that the court saw this for the perversion of justice that it is, but the harm that this political prosecution has done to shake Americans’ confidence in their own franchise is incalculable.”