What the software error did

According to the lawsuit, the Texas voter registration glitch traces back to a software error involving the Texas Department of Public Safety and a driver's license website that also handled voter registration. Between October 2025 and February 2026, residents who chose to register while renewing their licenses received receipts confirming their selections, but their registration information was never actually recorded, per the complaint.

The suit says the failure left the state struggling to process a backlog of nearly 600,000 voter registration applications, days before early voting opens Monday. It further alleges DPS failed to send almost 600,000 registrations to the Secretary of State, with some dating back to October 2025.

Who is suing and who is named

The League of Women Voters of Texas and Move Texas Civic Fund, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing civic participation among young Texans, brought the legal action against state officials. Named in the complaint are Texas secretary of state Robert Howden, the state's top election official, and DPS director Freeman F Martin.

What the lawsuit asks for

The plaintiffs are asking a court to intervene on several fronts:

• An order requiring both agencies to establish a working registration process
• Records documenting the failures
• Evidence of compliance provided to the court within one month

National scrutiny and the Senate race

The breakdown has drawn national attention ahead of a contested Texas Senate race, in which Donald Trump chose Texas attorney general Ken Paxton to run against James Talarico. Senator Alex Padilla, ranking member of the Senate rules committee, sent a letter last month to Governor Greg Abbott and Howden pressing for an explanation of the failure.

Early voting opens Monday while the lawsuit seeks court-ordered evidence of compliance within one month.