On Nov. 17, Austin Smith — a former state legislator and Turning Point Action leader — entered a guilty plea on one count of “attempted fraudulent schemes and practices” and one count of “illegal signing of election petitions.” He will be sentenced on Jan. 6, 2026.

I’ll leave it to others to comment on the gravity of the crime (Attorney General Kris Mayes: “Forging signatures, including those of people who have died, in order to get yourself on the ballot is illegal, and it erodes trust in our elections.”)

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