For Immediate Release
March 3, 2023
Contact Information:
Joyce LeBombard
President, League of Women Voters of Texas
512-585-4090
jlebombard@lwvtexas.org
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The League of Women Voters of Texas
Files Amicus Brief in Support of Crystal Mason-Hobbs |
AUSTIN, TX — The League of Women Voters of Texas is continuing to support Crystal Mason-Hobbs in the appeal of her conviction for illegal voting and has filed (along with the Texas State Conference of the NAACP) an amicus brief in support of Ms. Mason-Hobbs in the Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth, Texas.
In 2016, Ms. Mason-Hobbs submitted a provisional ballot in the presidential election, honestly and mistakenly believing that her voting rights had been restored after being released from prison on federal supervised release a few months prior. Although her provisional ballot was rejected, the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office still prosecuted Ms. Mason-Hobbs for illegal voting, and she was convicted in a bench trial and sentenced to five years in prison. Ms. Mason-Hobbs appealed her conviction all the way to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals—the highest criminal court in Texas. Last summer, the Court of Criminal Appeals sent her case back down to the Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth for further review after finding the Second Court of Appeals had incorrectly upheld Ms. Mason-Hobbs’s conviction without requiring the State to prove that she actually knew she was ineligible to vote when she submitted her provisional ballot.
The League of Women Voters of Texas has filed a total of five amicus briefs in support of Ms. Mason-Hobbs at critical points in her appeal process. In its latest amicus brief filed in the Second Court of Appeals, the League argued that the State’s purported evidence is insufficient to show that Ms. Mason-Hobbs knew she was ineligible to vote and that her conviction calls into question the freedom of Texas citizens to participate in the democratic process without fear of unjust punishment.
"We are hopeful that the Second Court of Appeals will render a judgment of acquittal for Ms. Mason-Hobbs, and we will continue to fight any state action that seeks to keep Texans from freely exercising their right to vote,” said League of Women Voters of Texas president, Joyce LeBombard.
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About the League of Women Voters of Texas: The League of Women Voters is one of America’s oldest and most trusted civic nonprofit organizations. Formed in 1919, the Texas League represents more than 13,500 grassroots advocates and 34 local Leagues across the state. The League never supports or opposes candidates for office or political parties. The League encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government. The League also seeks to influence public policy through education and advocacy. Membership is open to people 16 years and older. Learn more about the League of Women Voters of Texas at LWVTexas.org.
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League of Women Voters of Texas
1212 Guadalupe St. #107
Austin Texas, 78701
(512)-472-1100
lwvtexas@lwvtexas.org
lwvtexas.org
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