2026 Election: Texas counties rush to process tens of thousands of backlogged voter registrations
Election officials work to resolve error before deadline
County election offices across Texas are in an "all-hands-on-deck" sprint to process tens of thousands of delayed voter registration records following a technical error at the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).
TEXAS - County election offices across Texas are in an "all-hands-on-deck" sprint to process tens of thousands of delayed voter registration records following a technical error at the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).
The transfer failure left voter registration applications and address updates stuck in system queues for nearly a year, forcing local election staff to scramble ahead of the October 5 voter registration deadline.
What caused the system breakdown?
The backstory:
In a statement explaining the cause of the backlog, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) detailed how software changes from an outside contractor interrupted regular file transfers to the state:
While state agencies resolved the technical glitch in mid-September, local county registrars now bear the burden of processing the influx before registration deadlines close.
What does this mean for Central Texas voters?
Dig deeper:
Earlier this week, county tax offices received flood alerts of incoming data containing everything from brand-new voter applications to routine driver's license address changes dating back to last October.
Travis County alone received approximately 36,000 delayed records to review and enter manually.
"It was a surprise. It was jarring. It was disappointing. I expect more from our partner with the State of Texas at DPS," said Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar Celia Israel.
To meet the deadline, Israel noted that staff across multiple divisions within the Travis County Tax Office are volunteering for overtime and stepping in to perform continuous data entry.
Israel expressed concern that the problem highlights broader vulnerabilities in automated voter enrollment, adding that Travis County is drafting a formal letter to DPS outlining their concerns.
"When you go to DPS, and you go online, and you say, ‘I’m updating my driver's license’, and they ask you ‘would you like to be registered to vote?’ If you click yes, it should be automatic. It’s disappointing that the system let us down," Israel said.
How can voters verify their status?
What you can do:
Local election officials urge Texas residents to confirm their voter status immediately, as the registration deadline for the upcoming general election is October 5.
- Check Status Online: Visit votetexas.gov to check your current voter registration standing.
- Submit a Paper Application if Unsure: If your status is unverified or incorrect, you can fill out and submit a paper voter registration application to your local county election office before October 5.
- Duplicate Handling: Officials emphasize that if a duplicate record is created by filing a new paper application, county staff will automatically resolve and merge the files during data processing.
The Source: Information from Texas DPS, Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar Celia Israel and reporting by FOX 7 Austin's Dominique Leh