Technology
Election officials ask Texas to halt rollout of updated voter registration system
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Groups representing election officials across Texas are asking the state to halt the rollout of its updated voter registration system and address issues that they say “directly impact key parts of the election and jury process.”
The groups outlined their complaints in a letter sent Friday to Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson.
County election officials across the state have for months reported problems that they say began when the state overhauled its voter registration system, known as TEAM, in July. Those issues contributed to a backlog of tens of thousands of voter registration applications, Votebeat reported, though that now has nearly been cleared. Election officials also said issues with TEAM were affecting their preparations for the upcoming constitutional amendment election.
Alicia Pierce, the Texas Secretary of State’s Office spokesperson, told Votebeat the office has received the letter and is reviewing it. “Our focus right now is making sure every county is ready for the Nov. 4 election.”
Groups cite TEAM’s inconsistent performance
The letter to Nelson was sent by four associations representing Texas county election administrators, county and district clerks, county judges and commissioners, and tax assessor-collectors, all of whom have roles in administering elections.
In the letter to Nelson, as well as in interviews with at least a dozen election officials, they said that while using the new system and inputting voter registration applications, voters’ previous addresses override their new ones, their voting precincts don’t populate correctly, and sometimes the registration information doesn’t save. Officials also said the system is inconsistent, working properly one day but slowly the next.
“Counties have seen substantial delays in processing voter registration applications and updating registration status,” the letter to Nelson said. “Many election officials have observed TEAM incorrectly generating the voter registration list, which compromises election security by complicating the update of poll books and the identification of voters who have received a mail ballot.”
Now, with early voting set to start Monday, election officials across the state want Nelson’s office to resolve existing problems before rolling out any new system features.
“Without these changes, the current state of the TEAM rollout creates undue risk to voters and the integrity of election officials,” the letter says.
The officials also said in the letter that the issues are affecting several smaller Texas counties that rely on TEAM to pull their jury list. “District clerks have documented the new system solely pulling registered voters as jurors instead of those qualified to serve on a jury,” it says.
Calling for solutions and a clearer timeline
Chris McGinn, the executive director of the Texas Association of County Election Officials, said the associations sent the letter after weeks of meeting with the state, presenting the problems, and waiting for solutions.
“It’s now the week before early voting and we were still dealing with significant issues,” McGinn said. “We felt it was important to put all of this on the record for the secretary of state.”
In their letter, election officials asked the Texas Secretary of State’s Office to provide a clear timeline for TEAM bug fixes and publish weekly status updates detailing resolved and outstanding issues. Specifically, officials are seeking “clear communication about the problems that have been solved,” the letter says.
During early voting and the canvass, election officials want the state to establish “a dedicated incident response team,” staffed with technicians who can implement emergency fixes.
Democratic lawmakers apply pressure
Some lawmakers are also asking Nelson to take action.
On Thursday, six state representatives from the Austin area sent a letter to Nelson that says the issues with the system aren’t the fault of the county election officials, who she says have been “working tirelessly within the limits of the tools provided.”
The responsibility, the letter says, “rests with the Secretary of State’s Office to ensure that the system functions as promised, that training on the TEAM software is accessible and thorough, and that voters are not denied their constitutional right to participate in their democracy.”
The letter was authored by state Rep. Vikki Goodwin, and signed by state Reps. Donna Howard, Sheryl Cole, Gina Hinojosa, James Talerico, and Lulu Flores, all Democrats.
Nelson responded that her office had anticipated technical problems with the rollout of such a big update, which involved “the migration of over 20 million records and extensive training with our county partners.”
Nelson also said the financial instability of a voter registration vendor used by multiple counties unexpectedly complicated the rollout, prompting several counties to abruptly switch to TEAM.
“Our staff has completed onboarding 11 of those counties, including Bexar County, onto our TEAM system,” Nelson wrote, according to a copy of her response provided by Alicia Pierce, a spokesperson for her office. “We did this in a matter of weeks for a process that usually takes months.”
To check the status of your voter registration application, go to VoteTexas.gov or call your local voter registrar.
Natalia Contreras covers election administration and voting access for Votebeat in partnership with the Texas Tribune. She’s based in Corpus Christi. Contact Natalia at ncontreras@votebeat.org.
Disclosure: Texas Secretary of State has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
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