A Texas woman is facing a five-year jail sentence after illegally voting in the 2016 Presidential election, reports Fox News.

An Overview of the Crime and the Sentence

43-year-old Crystal Mason was sentenced to half a decade in prison earlier this week. State District Judge Ruben Gonzalez presided over her case; the aforementioned sentence followed after authorities learned that Mason voted while on probation. Mason had previously served jail time for tax fraud. Despite her release from jail, Mason still could not lawfully vote until the completion of her sentence, including probation.

However, during Mason's testimony, she alleged ignorance of the aforesaid rule. Furthermore, the 43-year-old stated that she received a provisional ballot which did not inform her of the illegality of her vote. However, Judge Gonzalez maintains that Mason failed to read the affidavit she received prior to the ballot. The content of the affidavit clearly outlines the current voting requirements, he ruled.

Nevertheless, Mason states that she was unaware that she could not vote:

"I was happy enough to come home and see my daughter graduate. My son is about to graduate. Why would I jeopardize that? Not to vote. ... I didn't even want to go vote."

Her preceding statement ultimately did not sway Judge Gonzalez who issued the five-year jail sentence. Mason's attorney, J. Warren St. John slammed the Judge's ruling, claiming that his client voted "in good faith."

"I find it amazing that the government feels she made this up. She was never told that she couldn't vote, and she voted in good faith. Why would she risk going back to prison for something that is not going to change her life?"

What Do Americans Think of Mason's Sentence?

Crystal Mason's story is trending across in the press and on social media. Many Americans have weighed in with their thoughts, slamming Judge Gonzalez's sentence as unfair and excessive. However, other individuals questioned Mason's alleged ignorance of the fact that she could not legally vote while on probation.

Readers of Fox News expressed their various opinions in the comments section of the report:

"Wow, what a load of garbage. 5 years? OVERKILL. Maybe 6 months but 5 years? These people are insane."

"5 years seems a bit excessive. Low-level drug dealers don't receive sentences like this."

"Texas seems to want to reclaim the dumbest state title from Alabama."