Texas counties race to clear 200,000 delayed voter applications before Oct. 5 deadline
A software error at the Department of Public Safety kept online registrations from reaching counties for nearly a year.
A ballot being cast into a box. Photo: Unsplash (illustrative).
AUSTIN — Election offices across Texas are working through a backlog of at least 200,000 voter registration applications and updates that never reached them because of a glitch at the state Department of Public Safety.
The applications were submitted through DPS's online portal — often while people renewed or updated a driver's license — going back to October 2025. DPS blamed a software update from a third-party vendor that handles batch transfers. Counties including Brazos and Bastrop noticed the slowdown before the problem was traced.
What voters should know
The registration deadline for the Nov. 3 midterm elections is Oct. 5. Anyone who registered through DPS but doesn't appear on the rolls can still cast a provisional ballot; officials say those ballots will be counted once they confirm the person applied through DPS before the deadline.
Voting-rights advocates are urging the state to contact affected voters directly so they know they did everything right. Texans can check their status on the Secretary of State's voter lookup page.
The episode has renewed criticism that Texas remains one of the harder states in which to register, since it does not offer full online voter registration.
Sources
This article was written by Statevane from the reporting and official sources linked above. Spot an error? Tell us.