This fall Governor Greg Abbott announced the State of Texas removed more than a million names from its voter rolls, including hundreds of thousands of people on the ‘suspended’ list. We received several questions about that process, including concerns from a military member serving in another state. NBC 5 political reporter Phil Prazan got answers.
What to know about voting in Texas
- The last day to register to vote in the November election is Oct. 7.
- In Texas, you cannot register to vote online. However, you can fill out forms online, which must be printed, signed, and mailed in by the Oct. 7 deadline. You can also register at a county election office.
- To check voter registration status or to get registration forms, visit votetexas.gov.
- Voters on the suspense list can still vote but must fill out a Statement of Residence before being given a ballot.
- While voters can't register online, name and address changes can be made online at votetexas.gov by Oct. 7. If you miss this deadline, the Secretary of State says you may return to your old precinct to vote.
- Voters on the suspense list for two federal cycles (four years) will be removed from the state's voter rolls.
- If you're a new voter, register early in case your application has any problems that need to be addressed before it can be accepted.
The November election is less than 50 days away and time is running out to make sure your voter registration is up to date. The last day to register to vote in Texas is Oct. 7. You can check your registration status here.
Checking your registration status is an important part of the process that all Texas voters need to do if they want to be sure they can vote in the November presidential election.
Earlier this fall, Gov. Greg Abbott announced the State of Texas removed more than 1.1 million names from the voter rolls since a 2021 law. That included 460,000 names of "suspended" voters.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
A voter is placed on the suspended list if a county's elections department believes the voter no longer lives at the residence they listed on their registration. They will send a notification in the mail to double-check. If they do not get a response from the voter, they will place the voter on the suspended list. If someone is on the suspended voter list for roughly four years, two federal election cycles, they can be removed from the Texas voter rolls entirely and the voter will need to re-register.
"Once a voter is placed on the suspense list, they are on that list for two federal election cycles. Assuming a voter has not, in fact, moved, they are still able to vote but will need to sign a statement of residence at the polls. At that time, the voter will no longer be on the suspense roll," wrote Alicia Pierce, assistant secretary of state for communications.
According to Texas Secretary of State staff, voters on the suspended list can still vote if they live in the same county where they were registered. When they show up at the polls on Election Day or during early voting, a suspended voter will be asked to fill out and sign a "Statement of Residence" form. If the voter has moved out of the county where they were registered, they must register to vote in their new county.
To register, either fill out the forms online and mail them in or register in person at the county election office. In Texas, you cannot register to vote online.
REAL WORLD EXAMPLE
Abbott's announcement that voters had been removed from the state's voter rolls caused an NBC 5 viewer to check her voter registration status online at votetexas.gov. She found that she was on the suspended list.
“I was appalled and angry and just frustrated that on top of everything I’m dealing with in my life, I now have to undo this suspension to access this most basic right as a U.S. citizen," said Meredith, who asked that we not use her last name for fear of online harassment.
Meredith is registered in Tarrant County but is voting absentee this year because she's on active duty in the military and is stationed in Virginia. She has contacted the Tarrant County Elections Department, which is sending her a statement of residence to fill out and return.
She will be removed from the suspended list once it is on file with the county.
"As long as the person is a registered voter in Tarrant County and are still a Tarrant County resident, they will be given a Statement of Residence to fill out and submit to poll workers. They will then be allowed to vote a regular ballot like they were never on the suspense list," wrote Tarrant County Elections Administrator Clint Ludwig through a spokesman.
Meredith spoke to NBC 5 in her personal capacity and said she's not representing the Department of Defense.
"Voting with a suspension hovering around makes me nervous," she said.
Election officials told NBC 5 that the earlier this is done, the better and easier it is to fix problems later. The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 7. In Texas, you cannot register to vote online. Voter registration forms can be filled out online, but they then must be printed, signed and mailed in by the deadline. There is no way to submit the form online.
"Voter who have moved should update their voter registration. Now is the perfect time for all Texas voters to check their voter registration ahead of the Oct. 7 voter registration deadline," wrote Pierce.
Important election dates can be found here.
