5th Circuit Court Restores Texas Mail-In Ballot Rules

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals restored nine provisions of Texas's 2021 election law, Senate Bill 1, reversing a lower court's decision to block the measures. The restored rules require mail-in ballot applicants to provide an identification or social security number matching state records and establish specific processes for curing defective ballots. Additionally, voters' assistants must now sign an oath against coercion and disclose their relationship to the voter.

Judge Andrew Oldham authored the opinion, ruling that the majority of plaintiffs lacked standing and that the provisions are necessary to prevent voter fraud. He stated that mail-in ballots are prone to fraud and that voting by mail jeopardizes election integrity and democracy. The court noted that ID-related ballot rejections decreased from 11% to 2.7% after the law was implemented.

Civil rights and voter advocacy groups had challenged the law, arguing that the requirements violated the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act by creating barriers for disabled voters. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called the ruling a major victory for election security, pledging that his office will continue to defend state laws safeguarding elections.