All articles tagged with #austin smith
A former Arizona lawmaker and leader of Turning Point Action is set to be sentenced for using forged signatures on nominating petitions to qualify for the 2024 primary, after pleading guilty to charges of attempted fraudulent schemes and illegal signing of election petitions, with a sentence including probation, a fine, and a ban from running for office for five years.
Austin Smith, a Republican lawmaker in Arizona and senior director for Turning Point Action, resigned from his position and withdrew from his re-election bid after being accused of forging voters' signatures in a court complaint. Smith, who has been vocal about election skepticism, denied any wrongdoing but cited financial burden as the reason for his withdrawal, claiming that Democrats engineered the complaint against him.
Republican state Rep. Austin Smith has dropped his reelection bid amid accusations of personally forging over 100 petition signatures to get on the 2024 ballot, facing a possible criminal investigation. Smith, a member of Arizona’s far-right Arizona Freedom Caucus, has been criticized for his alleged behavior, with calls for his resignation and investigation. Despite claiming election fraud in Maricopa County, Smith announced he was dropping out of the race, denying accountability for the allegedly fraudulent signatures and citing financial concerns.