A statewide software error may have kept some Missouri City and Stafford voters off the rolls since October 2025.

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) said a third-party vendor updated its software in October 2025, causing portions of online voter registration records to be cut off. Because the records were incomplete, the Texas Secretary of State's office could not process them. Counties did not receive corrected files until the week of Sept. 22, CW39 reported.

The Secretary of State's office confirmed that all affected registrations will be backdated to the date each voter originally submitted the request. The office also said registrations were sent to counties in time for the Nov. 3 election.

Fort Bend County residents who used the DPS online portal while completing a driver's license or state ID transaction since October 2025 could be affected. The portal is the only way to register to vote through DPS online.

No Fort Bend County-specific record count has been made public.

At least seven Texas counties have confirmed receiving a combined 178,000-plus backlogged records, Votebeat and Houston Public Media reported Friday, Sept. 25. The statewide total across all 254 counties remains unknown. ABC13 reported it reached out to Fort Bend County but did not publish a local figure.

The Fort Bend County Elections Administration Office was closed Friday, Sept. 25, for County Fair Day. Normal operations resume Monday, Sept. 28.

What voters should do

The registration deadline for the Nov. 3 election is Monday, Oct. 5. Affected voters should check their status at VoteTexas.gov or contact the Fort Bend County Elections Department at [email protected].

If a voter's name does not appear on the rolls on Election Day, the Secretary of State's office said the voter can cast a provisional ballot. Election officials have a process to verify the DPS transaction, and if the registration is confirmed, the provisional vote will be counted.

State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican, said the Secretary of State's office should have caught the problem sooner. "If the files were received, pulled, or not, that should have been noticeable," Bettencourt told Votebeat and Houston Public Media. "They should have caught it."

It is unclear how many of the delayed records are new registrations versus updates such as address changes. It is also unclear whether the error prevented anyone from voting in the March 2026 primary. Gov. Greg Abbott referred questions to DPS and the Secretary of State's office and did not comment directly, according to Votebeat and Houston Public Media.

Fort Bend County participates in the countywide polling place program, so registered voters can cast ballots at any location in the county. Early voting begins Monday, Oct. 19.