“We have worked tirelessly to keep our elections free and fair. There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of every legal vote.”
Texas law stipulates that all eligible voters must cast their ballots in person unless they meet certain exceptions such as being 65 years of age or older, disabled, out of the county during the elections, about to give birth, or confined in jail.In 2020, the Texas Democrat Party backed a lawsuit alleging that such restrictions on voting by mail were unconstitutional because they discriminated against voters younger than 65.
The plaintiffs sought to overturn Texas’s mail voting restrictions before the 2020 election took place. While a district court initially sided with the plaintiffs, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit reversed that ruling and upheld Texas law in the 2020 election.
In 2022, a federal district court dismissed all of the claims and the 5th Circuit upheld that decision in 2023. The plaintiffs then turned to SCOTUS which declined plaintiff’s petition to hear the case, thereby upholding the decision of the 5th Circuit in favor of Texas law.
“Many states irresponsibly and unconstitutionally changed their voting policies prior to the 2020 election. Fortunately, we did things differently in Texas: we fought hard to uphold Texas law and defend the integrity of elections in this State,” said Attorney General Paxton.
“We have worked tirelessly to keep our elections free and fair. There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of every legal vote.”
