Texas clears massive backlog of voter registrations before midterms

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 16 Oct, 00:02 · Archive

Texas has cleared a backlog of hundreds of thousands of voter registration applications caused by a software glitch, officials say.

A software glitch in the Texas Department of Public Safety's voter registration system, which began last October, left counties across the state struggling to process voter registrations during an unusually competitive midterm election season. The error prevented records from being sent to applicants' home counties for processing and verification. State officials have not specified exactly how many applications were affected, but the number ran into the hundreds of thousands.

Harris County Tax Assessor and Voter Registrar Annette Ramirez called clearing over 75,000 backlogged applications in the county 'a big win'. The Texas Secretary of State's office said it was not aware of any county with pending applications as of Thursday.

The backlog frustrated election officials nationally and raised concerns among Democrats. The Department of Public Safety previously said certain records submitted online 'were incomplete and not fully transmitted'. Anyone who arrives at a polling place without being on the voter rolls can still cast a provisional ballot.

How it is being reported

• Massive Texas backlog of voter registrations that scrambled workers has been cleared, state saysA large number of backlogged voter records have been sorted through in most Texas counties, the Secretary of State's office confirmed Thursday.Clickorlando · 15 Oct, 23:41
• Massive Texas backlog of voter registrations that scrambled workers has been cleared, state saysA large number of backlogged voter records have been sorted through in most Texas counties, the Secretary of State's office confirmed Thursday.News4Jax · 15 Oct, 23:41

In this story: Texas · Texas Department of Public Safety · Harris County · Annette Ramirez · Texas Secretary of State · Alicia Pierce

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