Overview
- A three‑judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court injunction in an 11‑page opinion issued Wednesday, restoring nine provisions of Texas’s 2021 SB 1 that govern mail‑in voting.
- The reinstated rules require mail‑in applicants to give a driver’s license or Social Security number that must match state records, create a process to fix defective ballots, and require assistors to sign oaths about coercion and their relationship to the voter.
- The court said most plaintiff claims failed for lack of standing and rejected one claim on the merits, with Judge Andrew Oldham arguing the state’s measures aim to prevent fraud and protect election integrity.
- Civil‑rights and voting groups say the rules disproportionately burden voters with disabilities, older Texans, and people of color and point to prior research showing higher ballot rejection rates after parts of SB 1 took effect.
- The ruling changes how eligible Texans must complete mail ballots ahead of the 2026 midterms, could affect rejection and turnout rates, and sits inside wider national fights over mail voting rules that could prompt further appeals.