County election offices across Texas are racing to process a state-confirmed backlog of at least 45,000 voter registration applications that were delayed due to an error in the Department of Public Safety (DPS) system. The issue, which emerged last October, was discovered only last week when unprocessed applications suddenly appeared in the state’s voter registration system. Local officials say the backlog could disenfranchise voters ahead of the November midterm elections, with Texas’ voter registration deadline set for October 5.
State confirms error, begins processing backlog
The Texas Secretary of State’s office confirmed in a statement that the DPS system had incorrectly marked some online voter registration applications as incomplete, preventing them from being transmitted to county election offices. Christina Adkins, the state’s elections director, stated in an email to county officials that the state is working with DPS to ensure the issue does not recur. The state began sending affected registrations to counties overnight on Tuesday, just days before the registration deadline.
Counties face tight timeline to verify and process
Local election offices are now required to process the backlog before the October 5 deadline. Counties using the state’s voter registration system will automatically withhold older applications if a voter has since submitted an updated registration. However, counties relying on third-party software must manually check for newer updates, adding complexity to the process. Some counties, including Bexar County, have reported receiving 45,000 backlogged applications, while others expect tens of thousands more. Election officials in the Texas Association of County Election Officials have warned that some offices may need to hire temporary staff to handle the surge.
Potential impact on primary and midterm elections
The error could affect voters who attempted to register for the March primary but whose applications were never processed. Chris McGinn, executive director of the Texas Association of County Election Officials, described the situation as “really out of left field,” noting that local offices had no prior knowledge of the missing applications. The state has not yet released a full statewide count of affected registrations, but officials emphasize that the backlog must be resolved before the midterm elections.
Next steps for voters and officials
The Texas Department of Public Safety has identified the affected applications and is coordinating with the Secretary of State’s office to ensure all registrations are processed in time. Voters who submitted applications but have not received confirmation are advised to contact their local election office. The state has not provided a timeline for when all backlogged applications will be resolved, but officials stress that the priority is to verify and approve registrations before the October 5 deadline.
Background: How the error occurred
The issue stems from a systemic flaw in the DPS online voter registration portal, which began in October 2023. The error caused applications to be flagged as incomplete, preventing them from being transmitted to county election officials. The state did not publicly disclose the problem until last week, when the backlog was discovered during a routine review of the voter registration system. The timing has raised concerns about whether the error disproportionately affected certain counties or demographic groups, though no data has been released to confirm this.