Crystal Mason spent some of her last moments of freedom praying. Her family says it's painful to watch her go to prison.
Mason voted in the 2016 presidential election, but she was on supervised release from federal prison for tax fraud. In Texas, felons can't vote until they complete their full sentence. “We pray for peace in the middle of injustice,” said Pastor Frederick Haynes.
Mason’s supporters say this day should never have come. "This was not about justice. This was to send a message to minority voters in Tarrant County to stay away from the polls,” said Attorney Kim Cole.
Mason says she didn't know she was breaking the law. "Why would I do this? Leave my family. It's overwhelming,” said Mason. Mason claims back in 2016 she was going to fulfill her civic duty and an elections worker explained how she should fill out a provisional ballot when she went to a polling site.
With her journal and books in hand, she said goodbye to her family. She'll have to spend 10 months in federal prison for violating the terms of her release.
She was also sentenced to five years by a state in judge for voter fraud, so she may do more time.
