3,500 defective voter registrations reportedly found in Texas
Halfway through early voting, 3,500 reportedly defective voter registrations have been identified in South Texas.
That’s according to the Public Interest Legal Foundation, which filed a Help America Vote Act election complaint with the Texas Secretary of State’s Office.
The complaint alleges that 22 South Texas counties are in violation of the 2002 federal law for having duplicate voter registration errors in the state’s voter database.
The Secretary of State’s Office is currently being sued for voter registration errors that led to an extensive backlog of hundreds of thousands of voter registration applications not being shared with county registrars, The Center Square reported.
Despite the Secretary of State’s Office claiming the registration issue was fixed, PILF says it’s identified another problem.
After it analyzed voter registration data in 22 counties in South Texas, the foundation said it found 1,057 cases where individuals appear to be registered more than at least once. PILF reported discovering other problems with the rest of the 3,500 cases.
The 22 counties are located in three congressional districts: 15, 28 and 34. They are all Hispanic-majority districts that shifted red in the last two elections. This election, Republicans are facing uphill battles in all three districts, The Center Square reported.
In Congressional District 15, U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg, is running for reelection against a Latin singer, Democrat Bobby Pulido. In CD 28, U.S. Rep. Henry Cueller, D-Laredo, is running against outgoing Republican Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina. In newly redistricted CD 34, U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzales, D-Rio Grande Valley, is running for reelection against Republican Eric Flores.
Under HAVA, states are required to maintain accurate voter registration records and eliminate duplicate names from the voter rolls. PILF says these 22 Texas counties are failing to comply with the law.
In addition to identifying duplicate names, PILF’s HAVA complaint includes a list of nearly 500 registrants whose records show fictitious dates of birth. As it conducted its investigation into duplicate information it says it found “some of these 480 [names] matched to other records apparently belonging to the same persons. Given the fictional data, the Foundation opted to set these false dates of birth apart from the duplicate finding.”
“Tiny mistakes can alter outcomes,” PILF President and General Counsel J. Christian Adams said. “Duplicate registrations are easy to correct, and we hope Texas fixes the mountain of mistakes that PILF found, especially in Brownsville and McAllen.”
State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, has said the Legislature will be investigating issues with Texas’ statewide voter registration management system (Texas Election Administration Management), The Center Square reported.
PILF has called on the Secretary of State’s Office to review the voter records in question, take corrective action and implement procedures to prevent future duplicate registrations.
One day after receiving the PILF complaint, Secretary of State Robert Howden encouraged eligible Texans to vote and to have confidence in the system.
“As we approach Election Day, I want Texans to know that their confidence in this process is well founded,” Howden said in a statement. “Every election in Texas goes through a proven audit process, and election officials across the state are working to help make sure every eligible vote is counted.”
According to a recent poll, only 25% of likely voters said they are “very confident that the November 2026 election will be conducted fairly and accurately.” Half of the respondents said they’re very confident that all U.S. citizens who want to vote in the November 2026 election will be able to do so, The Center Square reported. Those polled also expressed concerns about noncitizens voting.
Howden encouraged Texans to confirm their polling location and prepare to cast a ballot on or before Nov. 3. Early voting continues through Friday.
Voters can confirm their registration status, locate their polling place and polling hours, review identification and other requirements at VoteTexas.gov or by calling 1-800-252-VOTE. The website also provides a ballot by mail tracker for those who voted by mail.
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