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AUSTIN, Texas 鈥� The Texas Second Court of Appeals Crystal Mason鈥檚 conviction on Thursday evening, 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.

This is a victory for Mason, a Black grandmother from Fort Worth, whose life was upended by the state鈥檚 aggressive charges. She was convicted of illegal voting despite believing she was fulfilling her civic duty and not realizing the state considered her ineligible to vote.

鈥淚 am overjoyed to see my faith rewarded today,鈥� said Crystal Mason. 鈥淚 was thrown into this fight for voting rights and will keep swinging to ensure no one else has to face what I鈥檝e endured for over six years, a political ploy where minority voting rights are under attack. I鈥檝e cried and prayed every night for over six years straight that I would remain a free Black woman. I thank everyone whose dedication and support carried me through this time and look forward to celebrating this moment with my family and friends.鈥�

In the appeal of her conviction, Ms. Mason is represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, the ACLU, Texas Civil Rights Project, criminal defense attorney Alison Grinter Allen, and civil attorney Kim Cole.

The court鈥檚 move to reverse the conviction shows that nobody should face conviction or prison time for at worst an unintentional mistake made while trying to exercise their civic duty.

鈥淲e are relieved for Ms. Mason, who has waited for too long with uncertainty about whether she would be imprisoned and separated from her family for five years simply for trying to do her civic duty,鈥� says Thomas Buser-Clancy, senior staff attorney for the ACLU of Texas. 鈥淭he harms of the criminal prosecution can never fully be undone, but this decision is vindication for Ms. Mason and a win for our democracy, which can only thrive when people can fearlessly engage in the civic process.鈥�

鈥淐rystal Mason has bravely fought this grave injustice for years now. No one should be forced to endure what she has, and Crystal鈥檚 victory today is an inspiration and cause for celebration,鈥� said Sophia Lin Lakin, director of the ACLU's Voting Rights Project, who argued this appeal.

鈥淭his ruling gives us hope not just for Ms. Mason, but for the broader fight for voting rights in Texas,鈥� said Christina Beeler, voting rights attorney at the Texas Civil Rights Project. 鈥淐rystal Mason was unfairly targeted because of bad faith actors in this state who are determined to use every tool at their disposal to attempt to intimidate voters, especially Black and Brown voters, but that approach will not work here in Texas. We are proud to have assisted in securing Ms. Mason鈥檚 freedom, and we are proud of Ms. Mason 鈥� instead of intimidating Ms. Mason through her unlawful prosecution, the state has empowered Ms. Mason to continue fighting for voting rights alongside other advocates.鈥�

鈥淭his should never have happened. Crystal and her family have suffered for over six years as the target of a vanity project by Texas political leaders,鈥� said Alison Grinter Allen, criminal defense attorney. 鈥淲e鈥檙e happy that the court saw this for the perversion of justice that it is, but the harm that this political prosecution has done to shake Americans鈥� confidence in their own franchise is incalculable.鈥�

鈥淲e are very glad that the court followed the rule of law. It is clear that the state鈥檚 prosecution against Crystal was malicious and purely politically motivated,鈥� said Kim T. Cole, civil attorney for Crystal Mason. 鈥淭he state鈥檚 prosecution specifically stated that they wanted to 鈥榮end a message鈥� to voters. They deliberately put Crystal through over six years of pure hell. She woke up every morning not knowing if that would be the day that her freedom would be stolen from her.鈥�

A copy of the ruling can be found here: https://www.aclutx.org/sites/default/files/02-18-00138-cr_18138crremand_opinion.pdf