The Harris County Voter Registrar’s Office Processes Delayed Records, Some Dated Back to October 2025, Ahead of Early Voting.
The Harris County Voter Registrar’s Office is processing approximately 75,000 voter records that had lingered for months in administrative limbo due to a technical failure in the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) system.
Some of the files were submitted back in October 2025, but did not reach the county elections authorities until this week.
The office was alerted to 108,000 backlogged records that had never reached the county. After removing thousands of duplicates, it began processing around 75,000 records. Approximately 2,000 require further review.
A Software Update Triggered the Delay
The problem originated after an external vendor updated its software in October 2025.
The glitch caused portions of some records to be cut off before the information reached the Texas Secretary of State.
The DPS said the problem has since been corrected and that it worked with the state to identify incomplete files.
“This situation has caused confusion for the public and has created serious operational challenges during a period already busy for our office,” said Samantha Kealoha, chief of staff in the Voter Registrar’s Office.
“Our team is working diligently and will process these unexpected records before early voting begins on October 19,” she added.
Harris County Will Preserve the Original Date of Each Record
The county confirmed that it will process records with the original date they were submitted.
According to information provided by officials, the administrative delay will not modify the original date associated with each application.
The office continues to process the records received and will separately review the approximately 2,000 cases that require additional attention.
Related: Texas Elections 2026: Races at Stake and Official Resources for Houston
The Registration Deadline Ends October 5
The deadline to register to vote for the November 3 general election ends on Monday, October 5.
Early voting is scheduled from October 19 to October 30.
Voters who used the DPS portal to update their registration or address in the last year can check their status in the applicable election systems.
The state portal VoteTexas.gov also maintains Texas election information.
Pending Records Will Continue Under Review
If a person submitted their registration on time but does not appear on the voter rolls, authorities can review the original transaction to determine whether the registration was valid.
The Secretary of State’s Office indicated that there is a procedure to cross-check those cases with DPS information.
Harris County continues processing the backlogged records ahead of the start of early voting on October 19.
