Arizona Lawmaker's Election Bid Foiled by Forged Signatures, Ends with Probation
A former Republican lawmaker who questioned the integrity of Arizona's elections has been handed a probation sentence for using forged signatures on nominating petitions to qualify for a 2024 primary election. Austin Smith, 30, had pleaded guilty in mid-November to charges of attempted fraudulent schemes and practices, and illegal signing of election petitions.
Smith represented an Arizona House district in the Phoenix suburbs before dropping his reelection bid in April 2024 when questions arose about signatures on his nominating petitions. He also resigned as a leader at Turning Point Action, the campaign arm of Turning Point USA, after being approached by co-founders Charlie Kirk and Tyler Bowyer to launch the group's political operation.
According to Smith's lawyer, Kurt Altman, his client was "mortified" by his conduct and will never run for public office again. The lawyer attributed the lapse in judgment to the increasingly charged nature of modern politics. In court, Superior Court Judge Aryeh Schwartz noted that the offense undermined the integrity of the election process but also accepted Smith's responsibility for his actions.
During sentencing, Smith declined to comment on the allegations against him or outside the courtroom. His behavior was previously seen as part of a coordinated attack by Democrats, which he had dismissed as "silly on its face." However, after the charges surfaced, he dropped out of his reelection campaign to avoid accumulating legal bills.
In the past, Smith had voiced support for a Republican-backed review of 2020 presidential election results in Maricopa County and sponsored an unsuccessful proposal to ban voting by mail. He also complained about political elites breaking election laws in a campaign ad.
A former Republican lawmaker who questioned the integrity of Arizona's elections has been handed a probation sentence for using forged signatures on nominating petitions to qualify for a 2024 primary election. Austin Smith, 30, had pleaded guilty in mid-November to charges of attempted fraudulent schemes and practices, and illegal signing of election petitions.
Smith represented an Arizona House district in the Phoenix suburbs before dropping his reelection bid in April 2024 when questions arose about signatures on his nominating petitions. He also resigned as a leader at Turning Point Action, the campaign arm of Turning Point USA, after being approached by co-founders Charlie Kirk and Tyler Bowyer to launch the group's political operation.
According to Smith's lawyer, Kurt Altman, his client was "mortified" by his conduct and will never run for public office again. The lawyer attributed the lapse in judgment to the increasingly charged nature of modern politics. In court, Superior Court Judge Aryeh Schwartz noted that the offense undermined the integrity of the election process but also accepted Smith's responsibility for his actions.
During sentencing, Smith declined to comment on the allegations against him or outside the courtroom. His behavior was previously seen as part of a coordinated attack by Democrats, which he had dismissed as "silly on its face." However, after the charges surfaced, he dropped out of his reelection campaign to avoid accumulating legal bills.
In the past, Smith had voiced support for a Republican-backed review of 2020 presidential election results in Maricopa County and sponsored an unsuccessful proposal to ban voting by mail. He also complained about political elites breaking election laws in a campaign ad.
I'm sure it's not like he was trying to curry favor or anything... *coughs* 
I feel bad for this guy, he's been through some stuff. Forged signatures? That's just crazy talk! 
Like, how do you even get it that wrong? I guess the whole "politics is dirty" thing really took hold of him... or maybe he just got in over his head 
. Either way, probation makes sense. At least it shows accountability and he's not going to be running for office again, so we won't have to deal with his antics 
.
, like how can someone try to cheat their way into public office? 
it's just not cool, you know?
nope, didn't work out that way.
.
! I remember back in my day, we had to actually do the work ourselves, not rely on others to fill out our petitions for us. It's like, come on, folks, we're better than that 
. I'm glad he took responsibility and is taking a hit for his actions, though. Probation's gotta be tough enough to make him think twice next time around 
. But you know what? This just goes to show how much politics has changed since I was in school... now it's all about the drama and the scandal instead of actually doing what's best for the people 
.
and now he's got probation instead of jail time...guess that's better than gettin locked up 
. it's like, you know how everyone loves to talk about election integrity and voter trust? well, it looks like someone was just trying to be part of the conversation without putting in the actual work 
.
. at least he's taking responsibility for his actions and acknowledging that he messed up 
. and honestly, kudos to the judge for not being too harsh 
. it's a reminder that we're all human and can make mistakes (even politicians 
. And to think he was all about integrity and questioning the Democrats' motives 
. Anyways, looks like he won't be running for office anytime soon 
... not that anyone would want to hire someone who's willing to cheat their way in 
that's wild how someone who questioned the integrity of elections ended up getting caught with forged signatures trying to qualify for one 
Guess it's all about holding people accountable while also being fair 
