A federal appeals court has ruled that Texas can enforce a state law that invalidates mail-in ballots submitted without the last four digits of a voter's Social Security number or state identification number.

A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that a mandate enacted by the Texas Legislature in 2021 as part of its "election integrity" bill, known as SB1, does not violate federal law that prohibits states from imposing voting requirements that are "not material" to a ballot's validity.

In a nine-page opinion, Judge James Ho stated twice that his fellow judges on the appeals panel "had no trouble" concluding that the Texas law was valid.

“The numbers-matching requirement is clearly designed to help ensure that every mail voter is who they say they are,” Ho wrote. “And that is clearly a material factor in determining whether someone is eligible to vote.”

The judges said that simply requiring a voter's name and address on an application would not be sufficient to address security concerns.

“That information can be easily obtained by anyone who wants to,” Ho, a Trump appointee, wrote. “As a result, any person can request and receive information about registered voters, and then use that information to apply for mail-in ballots and vote. The risk of detection is minimized.”

The ruling is the latest in a series of decisions from the conservative 5th Circuit that have allowed states to tighten voter qualification and ballot access rules. Another panel from the same court recently ruled that mail-in ballots must arrive by Election Day to be counted.

Ho’s opinion was joined by Judge Don Willett, another Trump appointee, and Judge Patrick Higginbotham, a Reagan appointee.

Civil rights groups and the Biden administration argued that the law could disenfranchise many voters who otherwise would have legally cast ballots that contained minor errors.

Politico added that U.S. District Judge Javier Rodriguez Jr. in San Antonio, a George W. Bush appointee, ruled in 2023 that an exact identification number was not a material factor in a voter’s eligibility to cast a ballot.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump linked the news on Truth Social, writing “This is great news!!!” and “Should be done nationwide!!! President DJT.”

By NNP=Sung Ku Hong Chief Reporter info@newsandpost.com