A federal appeals court has restored significant parts of a Texas 2021 election law which sought to strengthen voter ID requirements, introduce oaths for voting assistants, and other measures aimed at safeguarding election integrity.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has reinstated key provisions of a 2021 Texas election law requiring voter ID for mail-in ballots. 📺 DETAIL: On Wednesday, the Court restored the provisions of the law which reformed Texas’ rules and regulations on mail-in ballots and assisted voting. Specifically, the contested provisions required voters to provide identification (ID) or Social Security numbers on mail-in ballot applications. ID or Social Security numbers provided would need to match state records. The 2021 law also introduced a measure requiring assistants to sign an oath confirming they did not coerce the voter they were assisting. The assistant would also be obligated to verify their relation to the voter. While some critics characterized the measures as making participation more burdensome and complicated for elderly and disabled voters, many defended the measures as necessary to safeguard the democratic process from fraud. The Court found that the plaintiffs lacked standing in most of their claims. The law had initially been blocked by a lower court after a judge invalidated nine provisions of the law, including voter ID requirements and mechanisms for curing defective ballots. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “BREAKING VICTORY: I just secured a major win upholding election integrity and preventing voter fraud. My office will continue to defend Texas’s critical laws safeguarding our elections.” – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R). 🎯 IMPACT: The court’s decision reinforces Texas’ efforts to strengthen election integrity through voter ID requirements and stricter regulations on mail-in voting. This represents a significant win for Texas State Attorney General Ken Paxton who has been at the forefront of the state’s efforts to pursue election integrity measures aligned with the objectives of President Donald J. Trump. This represents another win for election integrity within the space of a month. Back in July, a federal judge in Florida told the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to restore access to the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system’s federal citizenship data to allow state governments to screen their voter rolls. |
BREAKING VICTORY: I just secured a major win upholding election integrity and preventing voter fraud.
My office will continue to defend Texas’s critical laws safeguarding our elections. https://t.co/01DI0RMCGY
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) August 13, 2026
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