51,000+ Collin County Voter Registration Records Delayed by DPS Error

By R.J. Morales | TX3DNews

MCKINNEY — More than 51,000 Collin County voter registration records are under review after a state technology failure delayed applications and updates submitted through the Texas Department of Public Safety, some dating back to October 2025.

Collin County Elections learned of the backlog Sept. 22. Elections Administrator Kaleb Breaux said his staff is prioritizing new applicants and working to process the records before early voting begins Oct. 19.

“I have full confidence in our team’s ability to get this done,” Breaux told TX3DNews.

What 51,000 records means

The figure does not necessarily mean 51,000 individual voters were affected or left off the voter rolls.

Breaux said the county is still reviewing the records to determine how many are new registrations and how many involve changes to existing records.

“We believe that our files contain a mix of new registrants and changes to existing records,” Breaux said. “We should have more information once the data has been completely processed and reviewed.”

Breaux said the county has not yet determined whether anyone whose registration was caught in the backlog attempted to vote in an election while the information had not been transmitted.

“We have not had the opportunity to look at the data on that granular level,” he said.

Statewide, the known backlog has grown to at least 200,000 voter registration applications and updates. DPS said Thursday that the problem was connected to an October 2025 software update by a third-party vendor that handles the transactions.

Delayed records can be backdated

Breaux said election staff can assign the appropriate effective registration date to eligible voters whose DPS records were delayed.

“As our team begins to work these records, our voter registration team will be able to backdate these records so that the effective date of registration (EDR) will make the voters eligible to vote in the November 3, 2026 election,” Breaux said.

The county’s electronic pollbooks also allow staff to update voter information after voting begins when officials determine someone is eligible for the Nov. 3 election.

If a voter does not appear on the registration list at a polling place, Texas law provides a provisional-ballot process. Those ballots are reviewed after the election to determine whether they meet the requirements to be counted.

“This process is in place for situations exactly like what we are currently dealing with,” Breaux said.

What voters should do

The voter registration deadline is Oct. 5, and the county is urging residents to check their registration status before then.

Breaux said someone who believes they registered through DPS but does not appear in the county’s system can submit another Texas voter registration application.

“It never hurts for a voter to fill out a Texas Voter Registration Application,” Breaux said.

Doing so will not create a duplicate voter record, he said. Election workers will check whether the person already has a record.

Breaux said his staff is working to review and process the records before early voting begins Oct. 19.

“Everyone who should be eligible to vote in the November election should be able to receive and vote a ballot in Collin County,” he said.

Plesa seeks answers from state officials

State Rep. Mihaela Plesa, D-Plano, a member of the Texas House Elections Committee, sent a letter Sept. 25 to Gov. Greg Abbott, Secretary of State Robert Howden and DPS Director Freeman Martin seeking answers about the failure and assistance for counties processing the records.

Plesa asked what caused the incomplete records, what information was missing, why the backlog was not detected earlier and how many records were affected statewide.

She also requested state assistance and funding for file imports, record reviews, voter contact, overtime and additional vendor costs. Plesa specifically asked state officials to coordinate with Breaux on Collin County’s needs.

Plesa requested an initial response and remediation timeline by Sept. 28 and asked the state to determine whether the problem affected voters in elections held since October 2025.

The Secretary of State’s Office told counties Friday that grants would be available to reimburse additional costs specifically associated with the influx of DPS records.

Hunt calls for additional safeguards

Evan Hunt, the Democratic candidate challenging U.S. Rep. Keith Self in Texas’ 3rd Congressional District, called the DPS failure and delayed notice “unacceptable.”

“Voters who followed the rules should never risk losing their voice because the state failed to do its job,” Hunt told TX3DNews.

Hunt said his campaign has heard from voters who believe they were affected. TX3DNews has not independently confirmed that those registration problems were connected to the DPS backlog.

“Texas needs stronger oversight and automatic safeguards that immediately flag when registrations aren’t being transmitted or processed,” Hunt said.

TX3DNews also sought comment from Self, the Collin County Republican Party. No responses had been received by publication time.