A statewide voter registration backlog that delayed more than 500,000 records has been cleared before Fort Bend County early voting opens Monday, Oct. 19.

The Texas Secretary of State's office said it is not aware of any county with pending applications from the backlog, spokesperson Alicia Pierce told the Associated Press. For Missouri City and Stafford residents who registered or updated their information through the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) in the past year, the resolution means their records should now be on file with Fort Bend County.

The problem started in October 2025 when a third-party vendor's software update cut off parts of records submitted through DPS's online driver's license services, according to KPRC 2. That left the Secretary of State's office with incomplete information it could not process and send to county voter registrars. Harris County alone had more than 75,000 delayed records.

DPS said it discovered the problem in late August and worked with the Secretary of State's office and the vendor to fix it by Sept. 13. Counties then had to receive, review and process the delayed records. Election offices hired temporary workers to handle the volume, and the Secretary of State's office offered grant funding to help cover the extra costs.

Harris County Tax Assessor and Voter Registrar Annette Ramirez told the Defender Network in early October that she expected the records to be reviewed in time. "We do not anticipate having any issues getting all of these reviewed in time for that October 19th deadline," Ramirez said at the time.

The Secretary of State's office said any voter who registered through DPS by the Oct. 5 deadline but does not appear on the rolls can cast a provisional ballot. Election officials would then verify the DPS transaction, and the ballot could be counted if the voter was properly registered by the deadline.

A second glitch surfaces

The resolution came with a wrinkle. Houston Public Media reported Oct. 16 that a separate software error caused by "an extra address validation" affected Texans who updated their names and addresses on the state's government record portal between Sept. 1 and early October. Pierce said the Secretary of State's office sent 15,000 of those records back to counties.

Pierce could not confirm which specific counties the second error affected. Not all Texas counties were impacted, according to a state notice obtained by The Texas Newsroom.

County officials face a tight window. Before early voting opens Monday morning, they must determine which of those registrations were submitted by the Oct. 5 deadline and add eligible voters to the Official List of Registered Voters.

What Missouri City and Stafford voters should know

Early voting in Fort Bend County runs Oct. 19 through Oct. 30. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 19–24 and Oct. 26–30, with some locations also open noon to 6 p.m. Oct. 25, according to the Fort Bend County elections website. Fort Bend County has 38 early voting locations countywide, and voters may cast a ballot at any of them. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Missouri City and Stafford voters who want to verify their registration status can visit votetexas.gov or call the Fort Bend County elections office at 281-341-8670. Anyone whose name does not appear on the voter list should ask a poll worker for help and, if necessary, request a provisional ballot.