The decision was hailed by some — including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), who prosecuted the case — as a sign the state intends to crack down on voter fraud. Ortega voted for Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election and then — somewhat ironically — for Ken Paxton for Texas attorney general in a 2014 Republican primary runoff. Birdsall, a former public integrity prosecutor in Dallas County, said he never filed a voter fraud charge in five years. [There have been just four documented cases of voter fraud in the 2016 election]The sentencing has thrust questions about voter fraud — as well as a controversial voter ID law in Texas — back into the spotlight. Donald Trump’s indefensible claims of rampant voter fraud are now White House policy

Source: Washington Post February 11, 2017 22:56 UTC