Former Arizona Republican lawmaker sentenced for forging nominating signatures

PHOENIX — A former Arizona Republican lawmaker was sentenced Tuesday for forging signatures on his nominating petitions in 2024.

Austin Smith, 30, of Buckeye was put on probation for two years, fined $5,000 and barred from running for office for five years.

The sentencing came after Smith pleaded guilty to one count of attempted fraudulent schemes and practices and one count of illegal signing of election petitions in November 2025.

In June 2025, he was indicted on 14 counts, including four felonies, but the charges were reduced as part of his plea deal.

When handing down the sentence, Superior Court Judge Aryeh Schwartz said the offense undermined the integrity of the election process, but also said Smith accepted responsibility for his actions. Smith declined to address the judge during sentencing. He also declined to comment outside of court when a reporter asked him if he wanted to do so.

What did former state Rep. Austin Smith do?

Smith was elected as a representative for District 29, which includes the city of Surprise and other parts of the West Valley, in 2022.

He was running for reelection to the House when he submitted nomination petitions containing forged signatures to the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office.

One of the forged names was of a dead woman, according to prosecutors.

Smith ended his reelection bid in April 2024 after a lawsuit challenging his signature petitions was filed.

Lawmaker sentenced for forging signatures has Turning Point ties

When the lawsuit was filed, Smith was serving as senior director at Turning Point Action, the campaign arm of the late Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA conservative activist group. He resigned from that leadership role after he was accused of forging signatures.

Smith is currently listed on the Turning Point USA website as enterprise director.

In campaign literature, Smith voiced support for a Republican-backed review of the 2020 presidential election results in Maricopa County that ultimately ended without producing proof to support President Donald Trump’s false claims of a stolen election.

Smith also sponsored an unsuccessful proposal to ban voting by mail and complained in a campaign ad about political elites breaking election laws.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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