The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Texas measure this week, protecting mail-in ballots with ID numbers.
Former President Joe Biden’s administration and left-wing activists sued Attorney General Ken Paxton and other state officials, targeting Texas’ Election Integrity Protection Act of 2021, or S.B. 1, which required election safeguards, like matching mail-in ballots’ voter ID numbers to a state database.
Biden and a large number of left-wing voting groups sued in U.S. v. Paxton. They claimed this provision violated the Civil Rights Act, denying the right to vote for an “error or omission” that is not “material” in determining voter eligibility.
However, on August 4, the Fifth Circuit upheld Texas’ voter ID match requirement.
“This ruling is a clear victory for secure elections and for all Texas voters,” said Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley in a release. “Texas’s commonsense safeguards for mail-in ballots are essential to protecting the integrity of every single ballot cast.”
S.B. 1 requires voters to include a registration ID number on their mail-in ballot application and return envelope so that election officials can confirm their eligibility with a Texas Department of Public Safety database.
The RNC, the Dallas County Republican Party, the Harris County Republican Party, the National Republican Congressional Committee, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee all intervened in the suit since 2021, according to the release.
A district court previously struck down the provision in November 2023, siding with the Biden administration, as Bloomberg previously reported. The Fifth Circuit paused the injunction in December of that year.
When the Fifth Circuit sided with Texas this week, it overturned the previous district court judgment, according to documents published by Bloomberg.
Judge James Ho cited precedent recognizing that “‘mail-in ballots are not secure’” and “‘mail-in ballot fraud is a significant threat.’” He said the court had “no difficulty” finding Texas’ provision complied with the Civil Rights Act.
“The Election Protection and Integrity Act of 2021 combats mail-in ballot fraud in Texas by generally requiring voters who wish to vote by mail to provide an identification number,” Ho wrote. “The ID number requirement is obviously designed to confirm that each mail-in ballot voter is precisely who he claims he is.”
The Fifth Circuit found Texas’ voter ID match requirement complies with federal law, because it is designed to verify eligibility – not disqualify eligible voters, according to the release.
“As long as Democrats and the left are fighting to overthrow the will of the American people who support these safeguards, the RNC will be there to meet them in court,” Whatley said.