🗳️ Texas voter registration error delays at least 178,000 records: Some applications date back nearly a year as counties race to process backlog 👇

A Texas Department of Public Safety error delayed at least 178,000 voter registration applications and updates, leaving county election officials with a large backlog to process just weeks before the November 3 midterm election.

The problem involved registrations and updates submitted through DPS's online driver's license portal. State officials said affected transactions produced incomplete voter registration records that were withheld rather than transmitted to county registrars. Some of the delayed records date back to October 2025. DPS says the system issue has been resolved and the agency has worked with the Texas Secretary of State's Office to identify and transmit the affected records.

The statewide total remains unknown. Officials in just seven of Texas' 254 counties had confirmed receiving more than 178,000 records by Thursday. Dallas County reported more than 68,000, Collin County about 40,000, Travis County about 32,000, Williamson County 18,000, Hays County 8,200, Lubbock County 7,400 and Cameron County 4,500. Some records may be duplicates or address changes rather than new voter registrations, so those figures do not represent 178,000 individual voters who were prevented from registering.

Officials have not publicly explained what caused the records to be incomplete, exactly when the problem began or how many voters were ultimately affected. It is also unclear whether the error prevented anyone from voting in Texas' March 2026 primary.

State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Republican who has worked extensively on election administration legislation, said DPS was responsible for the underlying failure but argued that the Secretary of State's Office should have detected the missing files. Democratic lawmakers have also called for an investigation and additional state resources to help counties clear the backlog.

State officials say voters missing from the rolls because of the error can request a provisional ballot. Election officials can count that ballot after confirming the voter submitted a qualifying registration through DPS by the applicable deadline.

What safeguards should Texas add to detect voter registration records that fail to reach county election officials?