In a significant legal development, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has reinstated key elements of a Texas election law from 2021. This decision reverses a previous block by a lower court on several provisions of the law, which had redefined mail-in and assisted voting processes. The appellate court’s move is a critical turning point in the ongoing legal discourse over voting regulations in Texas.
Texas Senate Bill 1, enacted five years ago, brought sweeping changes to election administration, notably affecting voting procedures in Harris County, which saw innovative methods during the COVID-19 pandemic. This legislation faced strong opposition from voter advocacy groups and Democratic lawmakers, who went as far as breaking quorum to impede its passage.
In March 2025, a district judge invalidated nine provisions of Senate Bill 1, citing concerns over voter accessibility. These provisions required voters to supply identification numbers on mail-in ballot applications, which had to match state records. Additional requirements included signing oaths to confirm the absence of coercion and disclosing relationships between voters and their assistants. The plaintiffs argued these measures were burdensome for disabled voters, and the judge agreed, citing the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The recent ruling from the Fifth Circuit, however, overturns the district court’s decision, ruling that the plaintiffs lacked standing on most of their claims. The appellate court criticized the lower court’s findings, stating, “The bulk of the plaintiffs’ claims fail for lack of standing. One fails on the merits. But none justifies interference with the State Legislature’s efforts to prevent voter fraud and to protect election integrity,” as noted by Judge Andrew Oldham.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a defendant in the case, hailed the appellate court’s decision as a “major victory” in a social media post. The ruling emphasized concerns over mail-in ballot fraud, asserting that such ballots have a known vulnerability to fraudulent activities. Following the implementation of Senate Bill 1, the rate of mail-in ballot rejections due to identification errors decreased significantly from 11% to 2.7%.
However, a 2022 study highlighted that one in seven voters experienced rejections of their applications or ballots during the 2022 primary elections under the new law’s requirements.
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This article was originally published by The Texas Tribune in collaboration with The Associated Press.
