Texas voter registration backlog raises questions weeks before November election
A state system problem has delayed an unknown number of Texas voter registration records, some of which date back to October 2025.
Now, county election offices are racing to process the backlog before early voting begins Oct. 19.
The records involve Texans who registered to vote or updated their information through the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Collin County told CBS News Texas it received a large number of voter records from the Texas Secretary of State and is working with its vendor to process them.
Dallas County said it is also actively receiving and reviewing records from the state.
DPS said certain online records "were incomplete and not fully transmitted" to the Secretary of State.
"The system issue has been resolved," DPS said, adding that it worked with the Secretary of State to identify and backfill incomplete information.
The agency has not publicly explained what caused the problem, what information was missing or why some records were delayed for months.
Terri Burke, the executive director of the Texas Democratic Party, said the backlog affects voters across party lines.
She acknowledges that the voter registration issue impacts everyone.
"Yeah. Oh yeah," Burke said. "I mean, the Republicans ought to be as upset about this as we are."
Burke said political organizations need accurate voter files, but she also wants more information about the scope of the problem.
"They haven't given us any detail to understand what we're dealing with here," she said. "Are we talking about birth dates missing? Are we talking about addresses missing, zip codes? I don't know. And I think that's the question mark. And which counties?"
The Republican Party of Texas responded with a statement from Chairman Randall:
"Right now, the important thing is to ensure that voter registration applications are properly processed, that eligible voters are able to participate in the November election, and that we have a complete and accurate understanding of what occurred before drawing conclusions, so nothing like this occurs again."
The Associated Press reported that some of Texas' largest counties are dealing with tens of thousands of delayed records.
Bexar County received about 45,000, according to AP. County election officials said some offices may need temporary workers to process the backlog.
AP also reported that the problem may have affected some voters during the March primary, although no statewide number has been established.
The deadline to register for the Nov. 3 election is Oct. 5. Early voting begins Oct. 19.
The Secretary of State's office says voters who registered through DPS but do not appear on the rolls can cast a provisional ballot. Election officials will then review the voter's eligibility.
Voters should check their registration status before heading to the polls and contact their county election office with questions.
The records are moving. The clock is running. And counties are working to make sure eligible Texans can vote.
