The Supreme Court of the United States (“SCOTUS”) declined to hear a case brought by a political group challenging Texas’s age-based restrictions on mail-in voting. This decision marks the end of a legal battle that saw Attorney General Ken Paxton defending the Texas law on mail-in voting, ensuring its continuity.
Texas law mandates that most eligible voters must vote in person, with exceptions for individuals aged 65 and above, disabled persons, those out of the county during elections, individuals about to give birth, or those confined in jail. The legal dispute arose when the Texas Democratic Party filed a lawsuit in 2020, arguing that these restrictions on voting by mail were unconstitutional as they discriminated against younger voters.
After initial rulings in favor of the plaintiffs were overturned, the case eventually reached the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which upheld the Texas law during the 2020 election. Subsequent legal challenges were dismissed by a federal district court in 2022, with the Fifth Circuit reaffirming this decision in 2023. The plaintiffs then sought recourse with the Supreme Court, which declined to hear the case, thereby supporting the Fifth Circuit's decision and maintaining the Texas law on mail-in voting intact.
"We have worked tirelessly to keep our elections free and fair," said Paxton. "There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of every legal vote."