A federal appeals court has unanimously upheld a Texas law requiring identification on mail-in ballots, rejecting the Biden administration’s challenge and bolstering the state’s effort to safeguard election integrity.
Key Facts:
- The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously to uphold a Texas voter ID requirement for mail-in ballots.
- The law requires a state ID number or partial Social Security number on mail-in ballots.
- The Biden administration and liberal groups, including the League of Women Voters, challenged the law, citing the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
- In 2023, a lower court struck down the provision, but the 5th Circuit overruled that decision.
- Judge James Ho wrote that the ID requirement is “material” for verifying voter identity under federal law.
The Rest of The Story:
The Texas law at the center of this ruling was signed in September 2021 by Governor Greg Abbott as part of the Election Integrity and Protection Act.
The law mandates that voters who choose to vote by mail must provide either a state-issued ID number or a partial Social Security number with their ballot.
The Biden administration, joined by left-leaning groups, quickly filed legal challenges claiming the requirement violated federal protections under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
In 2023, U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez ruled against the law, stating the requirement was burdensome.
However, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals halted that ruling and this week delivered a firm, unanimous decision dismissing the lower court’s injunction.
Writing for the court, Judge James Ho argued the law does not violate federal rules. “The ID number requirement is obviously designed to confirm that each mail-in ballot voter is precisely who he claims he is,” he wrote. “And that is plainly ‘material’ to determining whether such individual is qualified under State law to vote.”
Judge Ho further warned that requiring only a name and address on mail-in applications opens the door to fraud since this information is easily accessible and could be misused to request and submit fraudulent ballots.
🚨 ELECTION INTEGRITY: A unanimous Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling has overturned a lower court's injunction, ALLOWING Texas to enforce a new mail-in voting law requiring voters to verify their identity with ID, a decision praised by Judge Ho as a win for election… pic.twitter.com/DdOmyKvo3A
— Publius (@OcrazioCornPop) August 5, 2025
Commentary:
The 5th Circuit made the right call here.
Mail-in voting, by its very nature, opens up gaps in security that simply don’t exist with in-person voting.
Requiring a state ID or partial Social Security number isn’t burdensome — it’s common sense.
Texas lawmakers were clear: they wanted to restore trust in elections. Adding a basic ID requirement to mail-in ballots is a logical step.
It helps ensure that the person sending in the vote is who they say they are. That’s not voter suppression. That’s protecting the integrity of the system.
The opposition’s argument — that this violates the Civil Rights Act — falls apart when you look at the facts.
Judge Ho laid it out clearly. The requirement is directly tied to confirming voter identity, which is not only legal but necessary.
Critics claim there’s no proof the rule would reduce fraud. But Texas doesn’t need to prove perfection — it needs to demonstrate a good-faith effort to protect its elections.
The court rightly affirmed the state’s discretion in pursuing that goal.
In truth, mail-in ballots have long been a soft target for fraud. Everyone knows it. The only people who pretend otherwise are the ones who benefit from the looseness.
This ruling won’t end the debate, but it moves the needle in the right direction.
Texas has now set an example other states should follow. In fact, we should go even further.
Unless someone has a truly valid reason — like overseas military service — they should be voting in person with ID. Period.
The Bottom Line:
Texas just won a major victory for election integrity.
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals confirmed that requiring ID on mail-in ballots is both lawful and necessary.
This decision upholds the principle that voting should be secure — and that identity matters, especially when voting from afar.
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