Elections Texas mother of 4 sentenced to 8 years for voting as a legal permanent resident

[Ruprecht]

She was voting illegally as a felon though, right?

Don't really see how these two women are related other than both living in Texas and both having more kids than they probably should have.

Yes, that's the connection. Texas.
Sentencing for voter fraud in Texas is frequently in this range.
That is the, "whole story".
In Texas the maximum sentence is 10 years. In other states the maximum typically ranges from 2-5 years.

 

[Cuzcatlan]

I'm a PR in Canada. I don't vote here because they explicitly tell you that you can't when they give you the card.

Do they not do that in the US?

They do.

 

[lifelessheap]

I don't think SSN is required, no. Maybe in some cases but I don't recall putting mine on there. I used my license information in California - the less I have to give out my SSN along with all of my other information, the better imo.

And that is the problem! Illegals are issued drivers licenses in CA. So they can register to vote. And by law DMV is barred from giving info on who is illegal with a license. Planned voter fraud by law.

 

[bushman505]

I'm a PR in Canada. I don't vote here because they explicitly tell you that you can't when they give you the card.

Do they not do that in the US?

They do. My wife has a green card and she knows she can’t vote.

 

[JSN]

So this is a thread about a law being broken and a person being punished for it?

Thanks. Guess this is a rare thing.

I would say this is a thread about proportionality. Eight years is insane.

 

[ShadowRun]

Im glad we found out how many kids she has those details are very important

 

[EradiatedHaggis]

I would say this is a thread about proportionality. Eight years is insane.

Is 8 years insane for effecting the outcome of leadership in a nation you have no right to vote in or is it that other crimes like rape and murder are just too damn lenient?

 

[Darth_Inv1ctu5]

A lawful permanent resident can falsely believe that her lawful status gives her the right to vote - or a parolee can falsely believe that completion of her sentence restores her right to vote - and they get massive prison sentences. Republican lawmakers can pass policies that they know will take away the right to vote for millions and serve no empirical anti-fraud purpose, and they get money, fame, and political support.

A Texas appeals court upheld the conviction of green card holder Rosa Maria Ortega for voter fraud on Wednesday, cementing a sentence of eight years in jail and a likely deportation.

Ortega, a mother of four, reportedly thought she was able to vote because she was a permanent resident. She voted five times between 2004 and 2014 — once for the attorney general, Ken Paxton, who later prosecuted her, according to her attorney. She also reportedly served as a poll worker.

"She doesn't know. She's got this [green] card that says 'resident' on it, so she doesn’t mark that she's not a citizen,” her attorney told the Washington Post said. "She had no ulterior motive beyond what she thought, mistakenly, was her civic duty."

Prosecutors said that Ortega had correctly told authorities she was a resident alien on a driver's license form, while incorrectly checking the U.S. citizen box for the purpose of voting, undercutting her claims that it was an innocent mistake.

Fact check: Republicans claim voter fraud is a huge problem
OCT. 22, 201801:05
Republicans have claimed that the nation is rife with voter fraud, but credible examples are harder to find, and the handful of cases like Ortega's that are uncovered have faced tough prosecutions and stiff penalties in recent years. Earlier this year, a former felon was sent back to jail for voting illegally while on supervised release from prison.

"This case underscores the importance that Texans place on the institution of voting, and the hallowed principle that every citizen’s vote must count," Paxton said in a statement celebrating the ruling. "We will hold those accountable who falsely claim eligibility and purposely subvert the election process in Texas."

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/el...2YtPQSAbz-fYvhetz3gTTGUWWF-LthjiFG8BFYp7KIQbs​

I read this as "sentenced to voting for 8 years in a row"

 

[cooks1]

Well, it was wrong ans she should not have done it. But 8 years---Wow.

Now Texas will be picking up the tab for her 4 kids I guess. Not sure if that is the best use of state resources.

 

[Higus]

How did she even register to vote?

 

[HankScorpio]

Really!?! Our justice system shouldn't even have to deal with this. If you're not on a voter roll, you shouldn't be allow to vote.

Also these judges are dirt shit, use some common sense.

 

[spamking]

A lawful permanent resident can falsely believe that her lawful status gives her the right to vote - or a parolee can falsely believe that completion of her sentence restores her right to vote - and they get massive prison sentences. Republican lawmakers can pass policies that they know will take away the right to vote for millions and serve no empirical anti-fraud purpose, and they get money, fame, and political support.

A Texas appeals court upheld the conviction of green card holder Rosa Maria Ortega for voter fraud on Wednesday, cementing a sentence of eight years in jail and a likely deportation.

Ortega, a mother of four, reportedly thought she was able to vote because she was a permanent resident. She voted five times between 2004 and 2014 — once for the attorney general, Ken Paxton, who later prosecuted her, according to her attorney. She also reportedly served as a poll worker.

"She doesn't know. She's got this [green] card that says 'resident' on it, so she doesn’t mark that she's not a citizen,” her attorney told the Washington Post said. "She had no ulterior motive beyond what she thought, mistakenly, was her civic duty."

Prosecutors said that Ortega had correctly told authorities she was a resident alien on a driver's license form, while incorrectly checking the U.S. citizen box for the purpose of voting, undercutting her claims that it was an innocent mistake.

Fact check: Republicans claim voter fraud is a huge problem
OCT. 22, 201801:05
Republicans have claimed that the nation is rife with voter fraud, but credible examples are harder to find, and the handful of cases like Ortega's that are uncovered have faced tough prosecutions and stiff penalties in recent years. Earlier this year, a former felon was sent back to jail for voting illegally while on supervised release from prison.

"This case underscores the importance that Texans place on the institution of voting, and the hallowed principle that every citizen’s vote must count," Paxton said in a statement celebrating the ruling. "We will hold those accountable who falsely claim eligibility and purposely subvert the election process in Texas."

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/el...2YtPQSAbz-fYvhetz3gTTGUWWF-LthjiFG8BFYp7KIQbs​

Texas apparently incorrectly registered her to vote and it's somehow HER fault?

 

[Trotsky]

Im glad we found out how many kids she has those details are very important

Yeah, four kids losing their mother for their entire adolescent lives is an important consideration to rational people when considering the benefits and downsides to a sentencing.

Texas apparently incorrectly registered her to vote and it's somehow HER fault?

In one of the forms she responded "yes" to being a citizen. But the fact that she was a longtime poll worker in her community makes this look especially bad for Texas imo. By all appearances, she was a citizen much more deserving of a franchise than most.

 

[spamking]

In one of the forms she responded "yes" to being a citizen. But the fact that she was a longtime poll worker in her community makes this look especially bad for Texas imo. By all appearances, she was a citizen much more deserving of a franchise than most.

Sheesh

 

[Joe265]

Ppl like to think we live in the most civilized and advanced stage in our development. So horrifically far from the truth.

 

[JSN]

Is 8 years insane for effecting the outcome of leadership in a nation you have no right to vote in or is it that other crimes like rape and murder are just too damn lenient?

Affecting?

 

[EradiatedHaggis]

Affecting?

Perhaps I shouldnt post until the coffee kicks in.