A total of 24,636 mail ballots were rejected in the state’s 254 counties in the first election held since sweeping changes to Texas’ voting rules were signed into law by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in 2021.

The rejection rate was about 12.4 percent, far higher than previous elections.

The rejection rate was similar for those trying to cast ballots in the Democrat and Republican primaries—about 12.9 percent (14,281) of Democratic ballots were rejected compared to 11.8 percent (10,355) of Republican ballots.

“The final numbers for vote by mail rejections in the March Primary are catastrophic for democracy in Texas,” James Slattery, a senior staff attorney at the Texas Civil Rights Project, told Newsweek.

“They are a direct result of Senate Bill 1’s unnecessary new restrictions on vote by mail. Throwing out 1 in 8 mail ballots calls into question whether the primary was a democratic election, and it is urgent that the Texas Legislature repeal this provision of Senate Bill 1 at its first opportunity.”

Republicans had raced to put the law tightening voting rules on the books in time for the 2022 midterm elections, partly driven by former President Donald Trump’s persistent and baseless claims of rampant fraud in the 2020 election.

The new law requires voters to list an identification number—from their driver’s license or the last four digits of their Social Security number—on their mail ballot application and return envelope.

That number must match the number on file with their voter registration records. If a ballot is rejected, voters are given the chance to provide the missing information or cast a ballot in person instead.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the top elected official in the state’s most populous county, said massive numbers of voters were being hampered by the new requirements, describing them as “a game designed to trick you at every turn.”

Tina Tran, the director of AARP Texas, said the number of discarded ballots is “deeply troubling” and “a sad indication that too many voters, including many older voters” are being disenfranchised because of the changes to the state’s mail voting rules.

“With a primary runoff election approaching and the state’s general election scheduled for the fall, it is imperative that state and local election officials work extraordinarily hard and fast to better communicate new identification rules to voters,” Tran said in a statement.

“Lessons must be learned to prevent more voter disenfranchisement in the upcoming elections.”

Carolyn DeWitt, the president and executive director of Rock the Vote, told Newsweek: “Texas has long ranked last in voter’s access to the ballot and the voter suppression bill passed in 2021 has firmly cemented Texas as an anti-democracy, anti-patriotic state.”

The high rejection rates in Texas are a “warning,” DeWitt said.

“In a post Shelby v. Holder world, we must remain vigilant. We must challenge laws and practices that deny voters’ rights and we must work even harder to ensure voters have the information they need to cast a ballot and make sure their vote is counted.”

The Texas secretary of state’s office has been contacted for comment.

Update 4/7/22, 10:50 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with a comment from James Slattery.