Texas has reached a historic milestone in voter registration, surpassing 19 million registered voters in anticipation of the crucial midterm elections scheduled for November 3. This figure marks a 2.2% increase from the last major general election in November 2024 and a 2% rise from the primary elections held in March. Additionally, the current registrations are 7.7% higher than those recorded during the previous midterm elections in November 2022.
Several rapidly growing suburban counties have reported significant increases in registered voters since the last midterms. Notable examples include Kaufman County, which experienced a 27% growth, followed by Waller County at 23%, Ellis County at 21%, and Hays County also at 21%.
In contrast, Tarrant County, often viewed as a competitive region, reported the largest decline in registered voters, with a decrease of 32,503 individuals, equating to a 2.6% drop. However, Tarrant County’s growth rate was recorded at 4.1% between 2022 and 2025, according to the Vintage Population Estimates.
Secretary of State Robert Howden expressed optimism about the voter registration trends, emphasizing the importance of every eligible Texan being prepared to participate in the upcoming elections. Early voting is set to commence on Monday.
The surge in registrations occurs amidst various state and local challenges that have put voter registrations at risk. Recently, officials faced the daunting task of addressing 500,000 unprocessed voter applications due to a software glitch in the Texas Department of Public Safety’s web portal. This error prevented numerous applications from reaching local jurisdictions, leaving election officials scrambling just weeks before early voting began. Fortunately, Texas officials announced that the backlog has been resolved.
Compounding the issue, county officials were informed of another state error that has resulted in several thousand additional voter registration records being backlogged. This problem specifically pertains to address updates made through Texas.gov between September 1 and the previous week, affecting counties such as Bexar, Travis, Williamson, and Hays, as noted by the Texas Association of County Election Officials.
As local authorities work to clear these applications, any registrations mailed or submitted to the Department of Public Safety by October 5 will still be deemed valid, allowing those voters to cast provisional ballots.
Earlier this year, the state faced scrutiny regarding its attempts to remove noncitizens from its voter rolls. Texas was among the first states to submit its voter rolls for federal review in January, following a request from the U.S. Department of Justice aimed at ensuring compliance with voter roll maintenance. A tool from the Department of Homeland Security designed to assess voter eligibility mistakenly identified several eligible voters as potential noncitizens across various counties in Texas. This situation has drawn attention, particularly in light of former President Donald Trump’s unfounded claims regarding extensive noncitizen voting in U.S. elections, which have not been substantiated by federal reviews of voter rolls.
The unprecedented spike in voter registrations follows a notable increase in voter turnout during the March primary elections, where nearly a quarter of registered voters participated, reflecting a growing interest in the upcoming midterm elections.
