A Trump Judge Called Mail-In Ballots a Threat to Democracy
On Wednesday, the conservative Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a ruling blocking key measures of Texas’ sweeping voter suppression law, SB 1. A lower court previously ruled that the law, which effectively made it harder for people to vote with assistance, violated disability civil rights laws. It also created more barriers to voting by […]
On Wednesday, a conservative Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals judge declared mail-in ballots a threat to democracy, overturning a ruling that blocked key measures in Texas' voter suppression law, SB 1. The lower court had previously found that the law, which made it harder for people to vote with assistance and allowed more mail voting, violated disability civil rights laws.
Judge Andrew Oldham argued that mail-in ballots posed a risk to election integrity due to the alleged prevalence of fraud. However, studies have shown that the risk of fraud in mail-in voting is extremely low, with an average of only 4 votes per 10 million votes being fraudulent. The law disproportionately affected disabled and elderly voters who may struggle with accessibility issues, including those discussed by members of the historically Black sorority Delta Sigma Theta.
One plaintiff in the initial lawsuit, La Union del Pueblo Entero v. Abbott, is Delta Sigma Theta. The judge's decision to uphold the majority of SB 1 could impact voter turnout in the 2026 Texas Senate race, where a Democrat is seeking to flip a Republican-held seat.
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