Texas election officials say they have cleared a backlog of more than 500,000 voter registration-related records statewide after a major software mishap, insisting that eligible voters who register before Monday's deadline can cast ballots in the November 3 midterm. October 5 is the deadline to register to vote in Texas. Early in-person voting begins October 19.
Counties have been scrambling to process voter registration and voter information files that were collected online as Texans indicated they wanted to register to vote or update their registration during visits to the Department of Public Safety. Because of technical difficulties with a system update dating back to October 2025, those transactions weren't forwarded to the county registrars until months later. Voting advocates worry that the delays and confusion damaged confidence in the state’s election system, especially among voters who may already feel disenfranchised.
They're balancing school, jobs, and caregiving, and they can't afford to lose time when a registration system fails,” Fernanda Maldonado, political director for MOVE Texas, told Newsweek. About 11,000 files required manual review, but officials said Friday that only a few hundred remained pending final precinct assignment. They expected to finish before the weekend.
"Our top priority is ensuring that every eligible voter in Harris County who registered on time can cast a ballot for the November 3 election," the office of the Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar Annette Ramirez wrote in a statement. Dallas County officials said they received 68,104 late records from DPS on Sept. 23. They have processed all applicants, including 13,677 new registrations.
Officials also noted that some voters whose registrations were processed recently may not immediately see updated information online because new registrations still require assignment of a state voter identification number. The Texas Secretary of State's Office said the backlog will not prevent eligible Texans from casting ballots. In a statement provided to Newsweek, the agency said it is offering grant funding to counties to offset the additional personnel costs needed to process the files.
"The effective date of the voter registration will be the day of the DPS transaction," said Alicia Pierce, a spokesperson for the Texas Secretary of State’s Office. "If that transaction is on or before October 5, the voter registration will be in time for the November 3 election." The agency added that voters who registered through DPS online but do not appear on registration rolls can still cast provisional ballots. Election officials can verify those transactions directly with DPS, and they will count votes if registration is confirmed.
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