# Texas court upholds Crystal Mason's voting acquittal

> Texas court maintains Fort Worth woman's illegal voting acquittal after years of legal battle
- Title: Texas court upholds Crystal Mason's voting acquittal
- Summary: Texas court maintains Fort Worth woman's illegal voting acquittal after years of legal battle Crystal Mason's 2016 voter fraud conviction was overturned due…
- Keywords: crystal mason, tarrant county, voter fraud, provisional ballot, supervised release, texas court of criminal appeals, fort worth, next generation action network, election law, civil rights, news, local
- Source: FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth — https://fox4news.com/news/court-leaves-crystal-masons-illegal-voting-acquittal-place
- Author: Shaun Rabb
- Published: 2026-09-25T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: crystal mason, tarrant county, voter fraud, provisional ballot, supervised release, texas court of criminal appeals, fort worth, next generation action network, election law, civil rights, news, local
## Acquittal upheld
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals dismissed state's appeal, keeping Crystal Mason's 2016 voter fraud conviction overturned
## Mason's background
Mason was on supervised release for felony tax fraud when she cast a provisional ballot in 2016
## Original conviction
Mason received five years in prison for voting illegally despite claiming she didn't know she was ineligible
## 2024 reversal
Lower court overturned conviction in 2024, finding insufficient evidence she knew she was ineligible to vote
## Court decision
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals dismissed appeal 5-4, saying lower court didn't need to rule on merits of case
## Legal team impact
Next Generation Action Network called Mason's case a test of whether justice system allows wrongful convictions

> This was never simply about one provisional ballot. This was about whether our justice system would allow a woman to lose five years of her freedom when the ballot at the center of the prosecution was never even counted
## State response
Tarrant County DA says illegal voting remains a crime and will investigate violations

> Illegal voting remains a crime in Texas. If there is evidence that someone knowingly violates our election laws in Tarrant County, we will investigate it and, when the evidence supports it, prosecute it
## Key takeaway

Crystal Mason's 2016 voter fraud conviction was overturned due to lack of evidence she knew she was ineligible to vote