Texas discovers massive registration error

The Texas Secretary of State's office found that incomplete voter registration applications were not sent to county officials, potentially leaving tens of thousands of Texans unregistered or with outdated voter files.

Tens of thousands of applications now flooding counties

Bexar County received over 45,000 registration forms and Travis County received over 35,000 after the state began transmitting delayed records on Tuesday, with more expected before the October 5 registration deadline.

Election officials extending hours to keep up

County election officials are working overtime to review applications and update voter records before early voting begins, with some records potentially duplicative and requiring careful verification.

“There's going to be a lot of counties that are paying a lot of overtime.”

Voters can cast provisional ballots if needed

Voters who don't appear on the state's rolls but believe they registered can cast a provisional ballot, which election officials can verify later using Department of Public Safety records.

Democratic candidates call error unacceptable

State Rep. James Talarico called the error unacceptable and urged Texans to check their registration status, saying thousands are now uncertain about whether they're registered to vote.

“Less than two weeks before the voter registration deadline, thousands of Texans are now in the dark about their voter registration status.”

Voters should verify registration directly

Election officials recommend voters call their local registrar's office to verify registration status, as Texas' online system has had problems this year with some registrations inaccurately showing as inactive.