An influential Republican in the Texas House says county elections officials shouldn't expect any additional help as they rush to process a backlog of at least tens of thousands of voter registration applications from the Department of Public Safety just weeks before the start of early voting.
House Elections Committee Chair Matt Shaheen , R-Plano, called the backlog "incredibly concerning" in an interview, but said it's up to counties to make sure the applications are processed in time for the midterm.
"They are a county government, and they are responsible for those functions," Shaheen said. "They have a county commissioners court that sets a budget, and that is that local jurisdiction's responsibility."
Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement READ MORE: Ahead of midterm election, Texas counties scramble to process voter applications due to DPS error
The problem was discovered earlier this week when county election offices began seeing an influx of unprocessed voter applications that had been submitted through an online DPS portal, some dating back as far as October 2025. DPS, which offers the service to Texans who are applying for a license, is responsible for sh...