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Turning Point leader, former GOP Rep pleads guilty to attempted election fraud (azmirror.com)
submitted 11 months ago by to c/news@lemmy.world
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Former Republican state legislator Austin Smith pleaded guilty Monday to what he previously called “ludicrous” charges that he personally forged more than 100 signatures on his petitions for reelection last year.

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[–] 93 points 11 months ago (8 children)

Smith pleaded guilty to the reduced charges as part of a plea agreement that gives him the possibility of avoiding a felony conviction. In Arizona law, when a person without a criminal history is found guilty of a low-level felony, the judge can wait until that person’s probation is finished before designating the crime a felony or misdemeanor. Essentially, that means if Smith completes any probation he’s sentenced to without violations, his conviction could be classified a misdemeanor instead of a felony.

And that’s important, because felons in Arizona can’t vote or hold elected office unless their rights are restored by a judge.

Fuck this. He should not be able to see a ballot again in his life.

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  • [–] 23 points 11 months ago (5 children)

    I'm not really sure that I think disenfranchising anyone is cool, but this rubs me wrong.

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  • [–] 21 points 11 months ago (3 children)

    I'm not sure I have a strong opinion for disenfranchising voters, since I believe everyone deserves a right to vote, but there has to be a point at which someone forfeits their own ability to vote? I think cheating the system (and by proxy, other voters) might be a good case for that.

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  • [–] 3 points 11 months ago

    Maybe not fully prevent them from voting, but curtail the means by which they can cast a vote to some minimum. For example, require them to cast an in-person ballot at a pre-defined time and location, under court-appointed supervision.

    This would be in addition to being prohibited from running, campaigning, volunteering, or doing anything else in the election process besides cast their single vote.

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  • [–] 9 points 11 months ago*

    No American citizen should ever lose their right to vote, for ANY reason, not even incarcerated prisoners. Hell, prisoners probably need governmental representation more than anyone.

    These are supposed to be God-given, inalienable rights, according to the Declaration of Independence, so how does a human-conceived entity presume to veto God?

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  • [–] 13 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    I think disenfranchising anyone is immoral and counterproductive to a thriving democracy.

    But someone who attempted to commit voter fraud should be banned from any position of public trust. Ban him from public office, from the election board, etc. Don't even let him volunteer as a poll worker.

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  • [–] 11 points 11 months ago

    Normally, I agree with that stance. However, in attempting to subvert an election, he stands to disenfranchise hundreds if not thousands of peoples' votes. You're more correct, but I hate the idea of someone like this getting the ability to vote for more people like him into power after he's already done something so egregious.

    Anyway, I don't disagree with your position, just that this dick weasel is anathema to free and fair elections.

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