Clear Lake-area residents who haven't registered to vote have until Monday, Oct. 5, to sign up for the Nov. 3 election.

Texas law requires voters to register at least 30 days before Election Day. The Monday deadline also applies to anyone who has moved or changed their name and needs to update their registration.

Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar Annette Ramirez said the county has more than 2.7 million registered voters, according to KPRC 2. She estimated about 90 percent of eligible residents are registered, leaving roughly 200,000 who may still need to sign up.

"I need everybody to be checking their status so that when they show up at the polls, that there's no hurdles for them to be able to get to that ballot box," Ramirez said in a Sept. 22 interview with KPRC 2.

DPS backlog nearly cleared

A software error from a third-party vendor's update in October 2025 cut off parts of voter registration records submitted through the Texas Department of Public Safety's online portal. DPS discovered the problem in late August and fixed it Sept. 13, KPRC 2 reported.

Harris County received about 108,000 records from DPS as part of the backlog. Roughly 33,000 were duplicates, leaving more than 75,000 to process.

As of Saturday, Oct. 3, the county had processed the bulk of those records. Only a few hundred remained pending final precinct assignment, Newsweek reported. Statewide, officials cleared more than 500,000 backlogged records.

The Texas Secretary of State's Office confirmed that DPS-submitted registrations will be backdated to the date of the original transaction. If that transaction occurred on or before Monday, the registration counts for the Nov. 3 election, even if the county processes it later.

What to do before the deadline

Residents can check their registration status at the Harris County Tax Office website or by calling 713-274-VOTE (8683). The state's "Am I Registered?" tool at VoteTexas.gov also works, according to CBS News Texas.

Voters who still need to register or resolve an issue can submit a paper application at any Harris County Tax Office location. Posted hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Mondays, according to the county's website. Those mailing an application should request a manual postmark at a USPS retail counter to confirm the date.

Voting rights attorney Karla Maradiaga of the Texas Civil Rights Project recommended in a Sept. 29 KPRC 2 report that voters with unresolved DPS issues submit a paper form in person to avoid further technology problems.

Suspense list voters can still cast ballots

About 300,000 Harris County voters sit on the county's suspense list, meaning the county needs them to confirm their address. Being on the list does not prevent anyone from voting. Poll workers will ask those voters to complete a statement of residence, then allow them to cast a ballot, Ramirez said in a Sept. 22 KPRC 2 report.

Voters who registered through DPS but don't appear on the rolls can cast a provisional ballot, according to the Texas Secretary of State's Office. Poll workers can contact the registrar's election call center on Election Day to verify a DPS record in real time, Ramirez told KPRC 2 on Sept. 29.

Harris County's early voting runs Oct. 19 through Oct. 30. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Voters can use any county vote center.