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Celebrated ineligible Texas voter loses her appeal

Crystal Mason told her story in a video produced by Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign.

Three Texas judges have rejected the appeal of Crystal Mason, whose singular illegal ballot in 2016 has become a flashpoint in the debate between those worried about widespread vote fraud and those worried about widespread voter suppression.

Mason says she will ask the full appeals court to reconsider her conviction and five-year-sentence, assuring the argument will continue over what's trickery at the ballot box versus what's excessive enthusiasm about exercising the franchise — and what the punishment should be for either one.


When Mason, who turns 45 on Saturday, went to her polling place south of Fort Worth four Novembers ago, she was on probation after finishing a federal prison term for tax fraud but was unaware state law barred her from voting. On the advice of a poll worker, she cast a provisional ballot, which was never counted. But she was eventually convicted of illegal voting and sent back to prison.

"The fact that she did not know she was legally ineligible to vote was irrelevant to her prosecution," Justice Wade Birdwell wrote for the three-judge panel last week. "The state needed only to prove that she voted while knowing of the existence of the condition that made her ineligible."

"This ruling is a severe misinterpretation of the law," said Mason's attorney, Alison Grinter. "It undercuts efforts to encourage voter turnout through the Help America Vote Act and punishes ordinary voters for attempting to fulfill their civic duty in a way that is at complete odds with our democratic principles."

Central to her appeal is the argument that a vote should never be considered illegal if it's not counted and that the provisional ballot system worked as designed — weeding out people whose eligibility is questioned but giving them a shot at voting just in case. In Tarrant County, where Mason voted, more than 12,000 people have used a provisional ballot since 2014 and seven out of eight have been rejected. But it appears Mason is the only one of them who has been charged with illegal voting.

She has become a voting rights advocate since her release last summer, turning her welcome home party into a neighborhood registration drive.

"A punishment of five years in jail for doing what I thought was my civic duty, and just as I was getting my family's life together, is not simply unfair," she told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "It's a tragedy."

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Understanding the Debate on Health Secretary Kennedy’s Vaccine Panelists

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., January 29, 2025 in Washington, DC.

(Photo by Chen Mengtong/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)

Understanding the Debate on Health Secretary Kennedy’s Vaccine Panelists

Summary

On June 9, 2025, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), dismissed all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Secretary Kennedy claimed the move was necessary to eliminate “conflicts of interest” and restore public trust in vaccines, which he argued had been compromised by the influence of pharmaceutical companies. However, this decision strays from precedent and has drawn significant criticism from medical experts and public health officials across the country. Some argue that this shake-up undermines scientific independence and opens the door to politicized decision-making in vaccine policy.

Background: What Is ACIP?

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is a federal advisory group that helps guide national vaccine policy. Established in 1964, it has over 60 years of credibility as an evidence-based body of medical and scientific experts. ACIP makes official recommendations on vaccine schedules for both children and adults, determining which immunizations are required for school entry, covered by health insurance, and prioritized in public health programs. The committee is composed of specialists in immunology, epidemiology, pediatrics, infectious disease, and public health, all of whom are vetted for scientific rigor and ethical standards. ACIP’s guidance holds national weight, shaping both public perception of vaccines and the policies of institutions like schools, hospitals, and insurers.

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