Texas DPS error leads to voter registration backlog before deadline
Residents Urged to Check Voter Registration Status Before Oct. 5 Deadline
AUSTIN, Texas — Tens of thousands of voter registration records across Texas are being processed after a state-level technology problem delayed applications and registration updates submitted through the Texas Department of Public Safety, prompting election officials to urge residents to verify their status before the Oct. 5 registration deadline.
The Texas Association of County Election Officials said county voter registrars received a surge of records beginning Sept. 22, including some submissions dating to October 2025. Depending on their size, individual counties received anywhere from several hundred to tens of thousands of records to process.
The issue involved voter registration applications and updates made through the DPS online driver's license system. Some records were not fully transmitted to county voter registrars as intended.
DPS said the system problem has since been resolved and that it worked with the Texas Secretary of State's office to identify affected records and supply missing information. The agency had not publicly provided a detailed explanation of what caused the problem or the precise number of records affected statewide as of Sept. 27.
County election offices are now working through the newly received records. In Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, election officials reported receiving about 45,000 backlogged voter registration records. Dallas County also confirmed that it was receiving and reviewing records from the state.
The issue has particular practical relevance for eligible voters across North Texas, including Telugu Americans and other Indian-American residents of the Dallas-Fort Worth area who recently registered or updated their voter information through DPS.
Texas voters urged to verify registration
The Texas Association of County Election Officials said voters should check their registration status through the Texas Secretary of State's VoteTexas website or contact their county voter registrar.
The association said county officials were working to ensure that valid registrations submitted on time are processed appropriately despite the additional workload created by the backlog.
The registration deadline for the Nov. 3, 2026 election is Monday, Oct. 5. The Texas Secretary of State says the deadline falls on Oct. 5 because the normal 30th-day deadline falls on Sunday, Oct. 4, moving it to the next regular business day.
Residents who have recently registered or changed their address should therefore verify that their information is current rather than assume that a transaction made through DPS has already been reflected in county voter records.
Key Texas election dates
For the Nov. 3 election, the Texas Secretary of State lists these important dates:
Oct. 5: Last day to register to vote
Oct. 19: Early in-person voting begins
Oct. 23: Deadline for the early voting clerk to receive an application for a ballot by mail
Oct. 30: Last day of early in-person voting
Nov. 3: Election Day
Voters can use the Texas Secretary of State's official election resources to check their registration information and obtain instructions on registration and voting.
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