A substantial backlog of voter registration applications in Texas, which had raised concerns among Democrats and county election officials, has been cleared days before early voting commences, according to state election officials. The issue, attributed by state authorities to a software glitch, occurred during a critical period leading up to the midterm elections.
While the exact number of delayed applications has not been publicly disclosed by state officials, reports indicate it was in the hundreds of thousands. Harris County, which includes Houston, had over 75,000 applications in its backlog, though election officials there confirmed it was resolved earlier in October.
The problem originated last October within the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), which processes voter registration updates when individuals renew their driver's licenses. A software error reportedly caused a large volume of records to be incompletely transmitted to applicants' home counties, where they are processed and verified. These records could include new registrations or updates like address changes. DPS has stated that some online submissions were incomplete and not fully transmitted, and the department has not provided further details.
Spokeswoman for the Texas Secretary of State, Alicia Pierce, stated that no county is known to have pending applications. Her office has also noted that any individual unable to vote due to registration issues can cast a provisional ballot at a polling place.
In response to the backlog, election offices hired temporary staff to manage the influx of applications. In Travis County, election officials described the situation as an "enhanced stress" on top of increased application volumes in recent weeks.
Legal action was taken by groups including the League of Women Voters and the Texas Civic Fund, who filed a lawsuit alleging the state failed to provide a reliable method for voter registration. Separately, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, a Democrat and chair of the Senate Rules Committee, sent a letter to Texas Governor Greg Abbott seeking information about the scope and causes of the registration issues.
Early voting in Texas is scheduled to begin on Monday.