Austin Smith, the former director of Turning Point Action, the political arm of Turning Point USA, pled guilty to attempted election fraud for his effort to forge signatures while running for reelection to the Arizona Legislature.
When Smith was indicted in June for his sophomoric effort to forge 100 signatures, he called the charges “ludicrous” and a Democrat plot. But on Nov. 17 he admitted to forgery and to knowingly deceiving the secretary of state’s office. Neither Smith nor TPUSA made any comments.
Smith had been charged with four felonies and 10 misdemeanors, but in a plea deal he admitted to just two charges. He will be sentenced Jan. 6. Since he has no prior criminal record, he could be fined with probation, likely a $5,000 fine and a five-year ban from seeking public office.
Smith, who was endorsed by the Center for Arizona Policy Action, an Arizona group affiliated with Focus on the Family, was elected to the Arizona Legislature in 2023 while working for Turning Point Action and joined the far-right Arizona Freedom Caucus. He previously directed Students for Trump, which was overseen by TPUSA for years.
When first accused of fraud, Smith denied the charges but claimed he could not afford to prove his innocence in court. He resigned from Turning Point and halted his reelection campaign but continued serving out his term in the legislature.
Smith is not the only person from TPUSA, the organization founded by the late Charlie Kirk, to be indicted for election crimes.
Tyler Bowyer
Tyler Bowyer, former chief operating officer of Turning Point USA, was one of 11 fake electors indicted for efforts to disenfranchise Arizona voters by falsely claiming Trump won the state.
Bowyer was one of more than 70 people recently pardoned by Trump, but the pardons cover only federal crimes, not state crimes. He now serves as COO of Turning Point Action.
Also indicted for election interference: State Sen. Jake Hoffman, a major player in TPUSA’s 2020 effort to flood the internet with thousands of false claims of election fraud. Hoffman’s digital marketing company, Rally Forge, contracted with TPUSA for fake posts created by teenagers using fake online personas. Hoffman, too, was endorsed by Focus’s Arizona partner organization.
And last November, Turning Point Action was fined for failing to disclose its donors following a 2021 complaint filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
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