U.S.
Texas counties face a new backlog of voter address updates before early voting
The newly reported 15,000 records are separate from an older registration backlog that officials said was cleared.
By NewsCubby Editorial Desk · Published · Updated
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Votebeat reported on Friday, October 16, that Texas counties had received another batch of delayed voter address-update records before early voting begins Monday, October 19. Natalia Contreras reported for Votebeat and The Texas Tribune that the secretary of state’s office sent counties 15,000 affected address-update records; not every county was affected.
The error involved updates submitted through the state’s name-and-address-change website from September 1 into October. It is separate from the older driver’s-license-portal backlog that officials said had been cleared. The new batch should not be described as 15,000 people denied the right to vote.
Counties must identify which updates arrived before the October 5 registration deadline. Votebeat obtained the elections director’s email describing an extra address-validation problem and rerun files. Voters with questions should check their record through official state services and contact their county registrar; individual status cannot be inferred from the statewide count.
Sources and photo credit
- Natalia Contreras / Votebeat and The Texas Tribune: original October16 reporting and obtained state email - Texas Secretary of State: county voter registrars
Photo: LoneStarMike, Texas State Capitol, January 2, 2010; CC BY 3.0. Archival building photograph, not current election processing. Crop, headline and contrast gradient added; no endorsement implied.