{"id":2569758,"date":"2026-02-13T14:19:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T19:19:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texass-ban-on-ballot-harvesting-upheld-by-appeals-court\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T14:22:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T19:22:33","slug":"texass-ban-on-ballot-harvesting-upheld-by-appeals-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texass-ban-on-ballot-harvesting-upheld-by-appeals-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas&#8217;s ban on ballot harvesting upheld by appeals court"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftexass-ban-on-ballot-harvesting-upheld-by-appeals-court%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2569758&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld Texas\u2019s 2021 law banning paid ballot harvesters from submitting mail-in ballots,reversing a lower court that had ruled the ban unconstitutional on its face. The opinion, written by Judge Edith Jones, said the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-reinstates-death-penalty-for-boston-bomber-dzhokhar-tsarnaev-committed-heinous-crimes\/\" title=\"... Rein... Death Penalty for Boston Bomber: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev &#039;Committed Heinous Crimes&#039;\">district court erred<\/a> by evaluating the measure in the abstract and found the law constitutional under the Frist Amendment, narrowly tailored to advance election integrity. The ruling followed a halt of the district court\u2019s ruling in October 2024 pending appeal and was celebrated by Texas officials, including Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, as well as the Republican National Committee. The article places the decision within a broader wave of GOP challenges to election laws and upcoming supreme Court involvement in related issues, such as Watson v. RNC on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/alaskas-elections-should-encourage-clear-choices-and-clear-winners-by-tim-griffin\/\" title=\"Alaska\u2019s ... Should Encourage Clear Choices and Clear Winners. \u2013 By Tim Griffin\">late-arriving ballots<\/a> and Pennsylvania\u2019s mail-ballot dating law, with arguments set for March and a ruling anticipated by june, perhaps affecting about a dozen states ahead of the midterm elections.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Texas&rsquo;s ban on ballot harvesting upheld by appeals court<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2500904\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>A federal <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/appeals-courts\/\">appeals court<\/a> ruled that a Texas law banning <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/voting\/\">ballot harvesting<\/a> is constitutional, reversing a lower court&rsquo;s ruling and handing the Lone Star State a key victory for one of its major <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/elections\/\">election<\/a> integrity laws.<\/p>\n<p>A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.ca5.221318\/gov.uscourts.ca5.221318.258.1_1.pdf\">ruled in favor of Texas<\/a> over the portion of Senate Bill 1, a 2021 law with various election provisions, that banned paid canvassers from submitting mail-in ballots for voters. The panel&rsquo;s opinion, written by U.S. Circuit Judge Edith Jones, an appointee of President Ronald Reagan, stated that the lower federal district court erred by ruling the law was unconstitutional on its face.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4457573\/doj-sues-harvard-access-race-based-admissions-documents\/\">DOJ sues Harvard over access to race-based admissions documents<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4457201\/new-york-republicans-appeal-maps-supreme-court\/\">New York GOP appeals new congressional map directly to Supreme Court<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4457342\/dc-attorney-general-rico-act-landlord\/\">DC attorney general uses RICO Act to charge landlord<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;Shoddy hypothetical analysis is not what our federalist system requires. &lsquo;Under the federalist structure of the United States, the states are responsible for regulating the conduct of their elections,&#8217;&rdquo; Jones wrote. &ldquo;A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-focusing-on-procedure-over-substance-in-immigration-cases\/\" title=\"... focusing on procedure over substance in immigration cases\">federal district court&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s intrusion on a state&rsquo;s constitutional prerogative cannot be supported by mere speculation.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;A challenger bears the weighty burden of demonstrating that the law is &lsquo;impermissibly vague in all of its applications,&#8217;&rdquo; Jones added. &ldquo;The plaintiffs&rsquo; vagueness challenge fails this threshold test. As the district court conceded, applying the statute to &lsquo;prevent paid partisans from haranguing Texas citizens while they fill out their mail ballots&rsquo; is not vague or unconstitutional.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The panel also found the law is constitutional under the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/first-amendment\/\">First Amendment<\/a>, ruling it is &ldquo;narrowly tailored to advance Texas&rsquo;s compelling interests in election integrity.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The appeals court panel had <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3190336\/texas-attorney-general-given-green-light-resume-ballot-harvesting-investigation\/\">halted the district court&rsquo;s ruling<\/a> in October 2024 pending appeal, roughly two weeks after the lower court had struck down Texas&rsquo;s ballot harvesting ban.<\/p>\n<p>Gov. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/greg-abbott\/\">Greg Abbott<\/a> (R-TX) celebrated the legal victory by saying the state &ldquo;will win the fight to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/GregAbbott_TX\/status\/2022160525992350019\">stop illegal voting &amp; cheating<\/a> at the ballot box,&rdquo; while Texas Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ken-paxton\/\">Ken Paxton<\/a>, who is running for Senate in the GOP primary, called it a &ldquo;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KenPaxtonTX\/status\/2022250616421003408\">major victory for election integrity<\/a>.&rdquo; The Republican National Committee, which intervened in the lawsuit supporting Texas, also celebrated the ruling.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Voters should not have to fear coercion or abuse when receiving assistance casting their ballot. This ruling is another big win for statewide secure elections and for all Texas voters,&rdquo; RNC chairman Joe Gruters said in a statement after the ruling.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4455914\/supreme-court-urged-weigh-in-pennsylvanias-mail-ballot-dating-law\/\">SUPREME COURT URGED TO WEIGH IN ON PENNSYLVANIA&rsquo;S MAIL BALLOT DATING LAW<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The ruling marks the latest court victory for the GOP in its battle over election laws across the country, including several <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >involving late-arriving mail ballot deadlines<\/a>. The RNC will be before the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/news\/supreme-court\/\">Supreme Court<\/a> next month as it aims to convince the justices to strike down Mississippi&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-will-consider-walking-back-campaign-spending-limits-even-further\/\" title=\"... will consider walking back campaign spending limits even further\">late-arriving mail ballot law<\/a>, which it claims violates federal law.<\/p>\n<p>Arguments in <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4452353\/rnc-tells-supreme-court-strike-down-late-arriving-ballot-laws\/\">Watson v. RNC<\/a><\/em>  will be held on March 23, with a ruling expected by the end of June. The ruling in the late-arriving ballots case will have ramifications for similar laws in roughly a dozen states ahead of the hotly contested <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\">midterm elections<\/a> later this year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Appeals court upholds Texas ballot-harvesting ban<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2638,"featured_media":2569759,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP25296632525643-e1771009102295.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[69805,73770,73523,3694,73324],"class_list":["post-2569758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-appeals-court-2","tag-ballot-harvesting-2","tag-election-law-2","tag-texas","tag-voting-rights-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP25296632525643-e1771009102295.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2569758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2569758"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2569758\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2569762,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2569758\/revisions\/2569762"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2569759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2569758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2569758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2569758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}