A Texas woman has seen her registration rejected after being flagged as a noncitizen, a new investigation found.
Howard-Elley, a former TSA agent and avowed Donald Trump supporter, discovered the error after receiving a letter from Montgomery County elections officials informing her that her voter registration would be canceled unless she provided proof of citizenship within 30 days.
The county claimed she had indicated noncitizenship on a jury duty summons. Howard-Elley told Votebeat, ProPublica and the Texas Tribune she requested an exemption from jury service to care for her grandchildren.
After submitting her birth certificate to the elections office, Howard-Elley believed the matter had been resolved. However, she later learned from the investigative reporters that her registration had not been reinstated. The oversight made her one of at least 10 U.S. citizens identified by the news outlets as mistakenly removed from Texas voter rolls amid a broader effort by the state to purge noncitizens.
The Texas Secretary of State's office clarified that counties must reinstate voters removed by mistake upon proof of citizenship, even on Election Day. Howard-Elley's registration was restored within hours after reporters raised the issue with state officials.
Texas is one of eight states nationwide that does not provide an online voter registration option. Every registration has to be entered into county election systems by hand, making the fate of millions of voter applications susceptible to human error — both by the applicants and county registration workers — the investigation found.
In Texas, people fill out paper voter applications that are then sent to local election offices by voters themselves or volunteer deputies. Texans can also register to vote via the Department of Public Safety (DPS) when obtaining or updating a driver's license.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott had previously announced that more than 6,500 noncitizens had been removed from voter rolls, though investigative reporting suggests that the actual number of eligible voters affected by human error is likely higher. Abbott's claims have fueled concerns among Republicans about noncitizen voting, despite experts asserting such instances are extremely rare.
Multiple registration officials accross Texas explained that other issues such as illegible handwriting, incorrect information, and unchecked boxes in application forms sometimes result in rejected or incomplete voter applications. Moreover, voters sometimes input the wrong contact information, making it harder for deputies or county registration workers to reach out and help them correct their applications.
Voter applications received by the Department of Public Safety are also subject to errors. According to Votebeat, Texas DPS handles 2 million voter registrations per year. However, that figure surpassed 3 million people in just the first eight months of this year.
Per state law, a voter whose DPS registration doesn't come up on the voter rolls at the polls can cast a provisional ballot. Election officials are legally required to investigate and your vote is counted if your application is found and meets eligibility requirements. Days after Election Day, voters are notified by mail whether or not their provisional ballot was counted.
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