But, This Doesn't Happen

For John, BLUF:  Things like this make one wonder if there is more of this fraudulent voting.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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A Texas Woman ‘Voted Like a U.S. Citizen.’ Only She Wasn’t.

From The Old Gray Lady and the keyboard of Mr Michael Winesmarch, 18 March 2017.

Here is the lede plus several paragraphs:

When Rosa Maria Ortega was a teenager, her mother was deported to her native Mexico after being arrested twice.

As she grew up, Ms. Ortega decided to take a different route. Lacking a high school diploma, she signed up for the Job Corps at age 18 and snagged a position at a state employment office.

In 2012, she registered to vote, and not only cast ballots in the next two elections but served as a poll worker.  Divorced, she raised four children, now teenagers, sometimes working three jobs.

“When my mom was here, she did everything illegal,” Ms. Ortega, 37, said in an interview.  “I wasn’t going to let that happen to me.”

She may not have a choice. Ms. Ortega, of Grand Prairie, Tex., a suburb between Dallas and Fort Worth, is a permanent resident with a green card, but she is not an American citizen.  In a case that made national headlines last month, she was found guilty, fined $5,000 and sentenced to eight years in prison because the ballots she cast in 2012 and 2014 were illegal.  While green-card holders have many of the rights of citizens, they cannot vote.

Frankly, $5,000 and eight years seems very harsh.  I would have settled for a $500 fine and a requirement that her village, town or city do a mandatory ID check for the next two elections.

And, I would urge the Governor to grant her a pardon, to stop the deportation action.  However, I would not urge a change in status from Green card Holder.

On the other hand, retired Law Professor Ann Althouse, who voted twice for Barack H Obama for President, has no sympathy for Ms Ortega, here.

Regards  —  Cliff