Court lifts block on Texas mail-in ballot ID requirements
FILE -- Stage is set for November general election
The race for the U.S. Senate remains the top battleground in Texas. On Wednesday, GOP nominee Ken Paxton and Democratic nominee James Talarico wasted no time throwing punches.
AUSTIN, Texas - Identification requirements for mail-in ballots that became Texas law in 2021 can be enforced after a court ruling issued Wednesday.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals found that the parties that filed suit lacked standing and reversed a lower court’s injunction that halted enforcement of parts of the law.
The backstory:
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the Election Protection and Integrity Act, known at the time as Senate Bill 1, into law nearly five years ago.
The law requires, among other things, a person who votes by mail to provide an identification number or Social Security number that matches state records.
A poll worker stamps a voters ballot before dropping it into a secure box at a ballot drop off location on October 13, 2020 in Austin, Texas. (Sergio Flores / Getty Images)
Why the lawsuit over SB 1?
The other side:
Groups that sued called SB 1 a "draconian voting law that is one of the most restrictive of its kind." They argued that the law would "deeply degrade the democratic cornerstones of representation and fairness, particularly for people of color and older Texans."
Another part of the lawsuit argued harm because the groups had to redirect resources and volunteer efforts toward educating voters.
What they're saying:
"None of these members has shown a ‘substantial risk’ of disenfranchisement," the court wrote in its ruling.
Four groups file lawsuit to block controversial Texas election bill
Voto Latino, LULAC Texas, the Texas Alliance for Retired Americans, and the Texas American Federation of Teachers filed the suit calling SB1 a "draconian voting law that is one of the most restrictive of its kind."
What is SB 1?
Why you should care:
SB 1 rewrote the state’s election code. In addition to tightening voting-by-mail rules, it prevents efforts to expand voting options, increases access for partisan poll watchers and sets new rules and possible criminal penalties for those who assist voters in casting their ballots.
The Source: Information in this story came from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and previous FOX Local reporting.