Lubbock County clears more than 8,000 delayed registration records, but a new statewide processing error raises questions just days before voting begins.
Since taking over as Lubbock County’s elections administrator a little more than two months ago, Troy Havard has spent much of his time in emergency response mode.
His biggest challenge: clearing more than 8,000 voter registration records caught in a statewide Texas Department of Public Safety software failure that went undetected for months.
With early voting beginning Monday, October 19, Havard says his staff has finished that massive cleanup. But another statewide registration error has surfaced, and his office has received hundreds of additional records.
Despite the setbacks, Havard remains confident.
“I am supremely confident that every ballot that is supposed to count, will count.”
Troy Havard, Lubbock County elections administrator
Lubbock clears 8,000-record backlog
The original DPS failure prevented voter registration applications and updates from reaching county election offices. Some records dated back to October 2025, leaving voters potentially unaware that their registrations or changes had never reached local officials.
Lubbock County brought in temporary workers and authorized overtime to process more than 8,000 records before early voting.
Havard said his office had fewer than 100 remaining Monday and finished them Tuesday morning.
“We cleared those out the next morning,” he said.
Another 250 DPS applications arrived afterward, but Havard said they appeared to be routine submissions rather than previously missing records.
“It does not appear that those are ones that were dated from earlier times,” he said.
Another statewide error emerges
As Lubbock finished its cleanup, the San Antonio Express-News reported that Texas election officials had identified approximately 15,000 additional delayed voter registration records.
The new problem involves an address-validation error affecting online voter registration updates submitted through Texas.gov since September 1.
Unlike the earlier DPS failure, this issue involves a system that allows already-registered Texans to update their names or addresses online.
Asked about the report, Havard said he had not yet seen it but suspected it involved that system.
He confirmed that Lubbock County had received more than 200 online update records around the same time as the additional DPS applications.
“We got about a little over 200 of those,” Havard said.
He had not yet reviewed their submission dates or determined whether they were connected to the newly reported error.
“I’ve not had a chance to look at those,” he said.
Havard expects his staff to finish processing the records by Monday or shortly afterward.
The October 5 voter registration deadline remains important. Applications submitted after that date generally cannot establish new eligibility for the November election. Different rules may apply to address changes involving voters who were already registered.
Cleanup costs climb past $12,000
The county’s emergency response has also grown more expensive.
Earlier this week, county commissioners approved seeking approximately $8,000 in reimbursement from the state. Havard now estimates the total cost will exceed $12,000.
“At this point, it’s looking like it’s going to be a little over $12,000,” he said.
Havard plans to submit documentation covering temporary workers and staff overtime to recover the expense.
“I don’t foresee any difficulties in getting the county reimbursed,” he said.
The county has not yet received reimbursement, and Havard has not finalized the cost.
What voters need to know before Monday
Havard’s strongest advice to voters is simple: Do your homework before arriving at the polls.
“Get your sample ballot. Download your sample ballot,” he said.
His office plans to launch an online tool Friday allowing voters to enter their names and birth dates, find nearby polling locations and download their sample ballots.
Havard encourages voters to research the races, mark their choices on a paper sample ballot and bring it with them.
“You will cut way down on the amount of time spent at the polling location,” he said.
Voters should bring a paper copy rather than rely on their phones. Texas law generally prohibits using wireless communication devices within 100 feet of a voting station while voting is underway.
Voters can check their registration status through the Texas Secretary of State’s Am I Registered? website.
Early voting runs October 19–30. Election Day is November 3.
What if your registration is wrong?
Havard urges voters who encounter registration problems to remain calm and work with poll workers.
“First thing is don’t panic. It’s not the end of the world. There is always a solution,” he said.
Poll workers can contact his office to resolve registration questions.
If a voter believes they registered before the October 5 deadline but officials cannot verify their eligibility, Havard recommends requesting a provisional ballot.
“Request a provisional ballot if they don’t offer you one,” he said.
His office will investigate provisional ballots after the election to determine whether they qualify to be counted.
“When we get that back in our office, we will do the research on it to make the determination if it was timely or not,” Havard said.
A provisional ballot does not guarantee that a vote will count, but it allows officials to review the voter’s eligibility.
Voters who moved between Texas counties after the registration deadline may also qualify for a limited ballot under separate rules.
Check your ballot before scanning it
Havard also emphasized one final safeguard: Review the printed record of your selections before inserting it into the ballot scanner.
If something looks wrong, notify a poll worker immediately.
“They can spoil that ballot and give you another one,” Havard said.
Once the scanner accepts the ballot, the voter cannot retrieve or change it.
“Once you place it in the scan, all bets are off, the vote is cast. I cannot take it back out again.”
Havard draws a distinction between problems processing voter registrations and the separate process of counting ballots.
After weeks of dealing with the state’s registration failures, he says Lubbock County is prepared for Monday.
“I am supremely confident that every ballot that is supposed to count, will count.”
