Erath County officials don’t take voter fraud lightly. Remember what happened to this guy?
As another election season nears, voter fraud continues to be a concern nationally, but Erath County is no stranger to the problem either.
In 2017, a man was sentenced to five years in prison after he was found guilty of illegal voting.
Jason Preston Gross was accused of voting twice in 2016; the first time during early voting and a second time on Election Day, Nov. 8, 2016.
According to District Attorney Alan Nash, election officials identified Gross as a person who had already cast a ballot when he tried to vote a second time.
Despite being warned of the illegality of voting twice, Gross persisted in his claim that he had not previously voted and was allowed to cast a provisional ballot.
But suspicious election officials reviewed cameras at local polling places and were able to confirm that Gross had, in fact, voted twice.
Illegal voting is a second degree felony with a punishment ranging from two to 20 years in prison.
“It is important for the integrity of our elections that people who attempt to undermine our voting procedures be vigorously investigated and prosecuted,” Nash stated in a press release at the time Gross was indicted by an Erath County grand jury. “It is a testimony to the diligence of our election authorities and our county clerk’s voting systems that this violation was caught immediately and confirmed through security systems in place.”
Nash’s office is now reportedly investigating a new case of voter fraud involving forged signatures on a candidate’s petition to run as an Independent for Erath County sheriff.
Nash, however, has not confirmed that a formal investigation is underway.
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