Spring-area voters who cast mail ballots will need to provide matching identification numbers on their applications after a federal appeals court on Wednesday, Aug. 12, reversed a lower court ruling that had blocked key provisions of Texas Senate Bill 1.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals restored all nine provisions of the 2021 election law that a district judge struck down in March 2025, including requirements that mail ballot applicants provide a Texas driver's license number, personal ID number or last four digits of their Social Security number that matches state records. The ruling also reinstates oath requirements for people who assist voters in filling out ballots, requiring them to swear they did not coerce the voter and to disclose their relationship.
The law was aimed at reversing initiatives Harris County implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, Houston Public Media reported.
Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth, who is named as a defendant in the case and oversees local election administration, will now implement the restored provisions ahead of the Tuesday, Nov. 3 general election. The deadline for Harris County voters to submit a mail ballot application is Friday, Oct. 23.
"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," Judge Andrew S. Oldham wrote in the 11-page opinion.
The three-judge panel, which also included Circuit Judges Higginbotham and Smith, found that plaintiffs including La Unión del Pueblo Entero and Houston-based FIEL Houston Inc. lacked standing on most claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
The court's opinion noted that mail ballot rejection rates tied to missing or mismatched ID numbers dropped from 11-12 percent to 2.7 percent within eight months of SB 1 taking effect. A separate 2022 study cited by the Texas Tribune found that 1 in 7 voters in the 2022 primary had their applications or ballots rejected under the new rules.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said on X on Thursday, Aug. 13, that he secured a major win for election integrity and that his office would continue defending the state's election laws.
The ruling caps five years of litigation. In a footnote, Oldham wrote that the appeals court has "reversed the district court on everything" across the consolidated lawsuit. The U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari in related SB 1 cases on June 29.
Spring-area residents eligible to vote by mail, including those 65 or older and voters with disabilities, can contact the Harris County Clerk's Elections Department at (713) 755-6965 or visit harrisvotes.com for application information.
