Vote.Org v. Paxton, No. 22-50536 (5th Cir. 2023)
Annotate this CaseA non-profit organization, Vote.org, sued several county election officials in Texas, alleging that a state law requiring an original signature on a voter registration form violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the First and Fourteenth Amendments. The law frustrated Vote.org's use of its smartphone app, which only allowed for digital signatures. The district court ruled in favor of Vote.org, but the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed the decision. The appellate court concluded that Vote.org had standing to sue, both in its own right and on behalf of third parties. The court found that the requirement for an original signature on a voter registration form did not violate the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or the First and Fourteenth Amendments. The court held that Texas's requirement of an original signature was a material condition of voter registration and served legitimate state interests in ensuring the reliability of the registration process and reducing fraud. The court also found that the burden imposed by the requirement was only slight and did not unduly burden the right to vote. Therefore, the court ruled in favor of the defendants.
This opinion or order relates to an opinion or order originally issued on July 2, 2022.
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