The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals just handed conservatives a big win in the fight for election integrity.
On August 4, 2025, a three-judge panel unanimously upheld a key part of Texas Senate Bill 1, a law passed in 2021 that requires voters to include ID numbers (like a driver’s license or the last four digits of a Social Security number) when voting by mail.
The ruling reverses a lower court’s decision that had blocked the rule, arguing it violated the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Huge win for election integrity by Judge Ho. Texas passed a law requiring mail in voters to, in effect, confirm the voter is who he says he is. The district court enjoined enforcement of the law. Improperly, says the unanimous Fifth Circuit panel. Unanimous, reversed, rendered! pic.twitter.com/j6T6MsBrCp
— Eric W. (@EWess92) August 5, 2025
Judge James Ho, who wrote the opinion, said the ID rule helps confirm voter identity and prevents fraud. The court also pointed to a 2021 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research showing that ID laws help reduce invalid ballots by 2–3%.
While critics claim the law could confuse voters or cause some ballots to be rejected, the court said voters have ways to fix mistakes, so the law doesn’t unfairly block anyone from voting.
Why It Matters for Nevadans
Nevada still allows mail-in ballots without requiring voter ID, and that’s raised concerns among many conservatives here.
If you need ID to pick up a package or buy cold medicine, shouldn’t you need one to vote?
Governor Joe Lombardo has said he supports voter ID. After seeing what just happened in Texas, don’t be surprised if lawmakers here try to pass something similar.
What the Left Is Saying
Groups like the ACLU and the Brennan Center for Justice argue that voter fraud is rare. A 2012 Brennan Center study claimed that only 0.00006% of mail-in ballots were tied to fraud, and a 2020 study from MIT found no widespread mail-in fraud in the pandemic election.
But conservatives say that’s not the point. You don’t wait for your house to be robbed before you lock the door; even if fraud is rare, protecting the process is common sense.
A Split Among the Courts
The Fifth Circuit’s ruling goes against a 2023 decision from the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, which struck down a similar law in Pennsylvania. That kind of disagreement between federal courts often ends up at the Supreme Court.
With a 6–3 conservative majority, many expect the Supreme Court would support voter ID laws – just like it did in Brnovich v. DNC back in 2021, which said that reasonable voting rules don’t count as voter suppression.
Trump Weighs In
Former President Donald Trump, now serving his second term, called the Texas ruling “GREAT NEWS” on Truth Social.
He and many Republican leaders are pushing for voter ID laws to be adopted in all 50 states. Bills like the “Restoring Faith in Elections Act” aim to make voter ID the law of the land for mail-in ballots.
Eyes Ahead
Some Democrats say requiring ID for mail-in ballots will hurt turnout, especially among seniors and low-income voters. But in states like Georgia, where voter ID laws passed in 2018, there was only a small drop in mail-in voting – 5 to 7% – and turnout has remained strong overall.
Nevadans who care about clean elections should be paying attention. What just happened in Texas could soon be coming to the Silver State.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
