Media Contact

CONTACT: Kristi Gross, ACLU of Texas, [email protected]

April 25, 2024

FORT WORTH, Texas – The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office announced today that it would ask the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to reverse the recent decision to overturn Crystal Mason’s illegal voting conviction.

The Texas Second Court of Appeals reversed Crystal Mason’s conviction in March 2024, resulting in an acquittal. She had faced five years in prison for submitting a provisional ballot in 2016 that was never counted as a vote. She was convicted of illegal voting despite believing she was fulfilling her civic duty and not realizing the state considered her ineligible to vote.

The following statement can be attributed to Tommy Buser-Clancy, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Texas:

“It is disappointing that the state has chosen to request further review of Ms. Mason's case, but we are confident that justice will ultimately prevail. The court of appeals' decision was well reasoned and correct. It is time to give Ms. Mason peace with her family.”