A federal appeals court has reinstated significant portions of a 2021 Texas election law that sought to strengthen voter identification requirements for mail-in ballots and introduce oaths for voting assistants.
The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Wednesday that the contested provisions—requiring voters to submit government-issued identification or Social Security numbers on mail-in ballot applications (with verification against state records) and mandating that voting assistants sign an oath confirming they did not coerce voters and verify their relationship with the voter—are valid.
The court found that the plaintiffs lacked standing in most of their legal claims. This decision reverses a prior ruling by a lower court that had invalidated nine provisions of the law, including the voter ID requirements and mechanisms for correcting defective ballots.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) hailed the ruling as a “breaking victory,” stating his office will continue to defend Texas’ critical laws safeguarding elections.
The court’s decision reinforces Texas’ efforts to strengthen election regulations. This represents another win for election integrity within a month, following a federal judge in Florida who recently ordered the Department of Homeland Security to restore access to the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system to screen voter rolls.
