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Crystal Mason To Be Repped By ACLU And Texas Civil Rights Project

Last year we reported on a woman named Crystal Mason who was sentenced to five years in prison for “illegally” voting.

For those who are unaware, Crystal had just been released from prison for tax fraud and was still on probation when she cast a provisional ballot for the 2016 election. She was unaware of a Texas law that stated that she was not allowed to vote due to her criminal status. Thus, she was sentenced to more time in the bing.

According to HuffPo, Crystal is seeking a new trial to be released and the ACLU and Texas Civil Rights Project have stepped in to help her.

Mason’s lawyers told the Court of Appeals in November she deserves a new trial because the statute she was convicted under is vague, and that the ballot she cast ultimately did not count since it was a provisional ballot. They also argue that she received ineffective counsel from her trial attorney. Oral argument is set for the case on June 4 in Fort Worth.

“The prosecution of Crystal Mason for the innocent mistake of casting a provision ballot that wasn’t even counted is a severe injustice,” Andre Segura, an attorney with the ACLU of Texas who will help represent Mason, said in a statement. “Ms. Mason simply attempted to follow the law and participate in what she believed to be her civic duty, and in return has been sentenced to an outrageous length of time in prison.”

This country is full of s#!t.

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