Brazos County election officials discuss groups filing voter registration challenges

BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas (KBTX) – Local election officials have said there are several groups in Brazos County working to file voter registration challenges.

These challenges, typically filed on the grounds of residency, are legal under Texas election law as long as the voters reside in the same county.

Challenging a voter’s registration requires an affidavit identifying the voter and ‘personal knowledge’ that the voter’s registration might not be valid. These challenges are handled by county election officials, who then send a confirmation notice to the address they have on record. This gives the challenged individual the chance to update their information, but failing to respond places the registration under suspense. This does not prevent someone from voting.

Around eight weeks ago, election administrator Trudy Hancock said her office began to receive filings of voter registration challenges.

“I had a voter drop off a big packet yesterday that had a substantial number in it,” Hancock said.

According to her, the filings come from multiple groups within Brazos County. These groups, she said, use public records and databases such as the National Change of Address (NCOA) database through the post office.

During the hear citizens portion of Tuesday’s commissioner’s court meeting, a resident spoke about a group’s progress in filing voter registration challenges, which she referred to as ‘cleaning up’ the rolls.

”The point I’m trying to make is that our voter registration rolls are dirty. And I don’t know why they’re dirty, there’s a lot of work that needs to be done on them,” Cynde Wiley said.

Hancock said she and her staff work tirelessly to follow the law and keep voter rolls updated.

“We follow the law and be sure that all the i’s are dotted, all the t’s are crossed so someone is not disenfranchised and not allowed to vote that should be afforded that right,” she remarked.

Wiley said the group has submitted, and is currently working to submit, between 700 and 800 voter registration challenges.

However, many of those filings don’t make it far. Hancock said the Secretary of State’s office issued an advisory regarding these groups, telling election officials that affidavits filed using NCOA information does not qualify as ‘personal knowledge.’

It’s also a matter of accuracy.

“What we’ve been finding is a lot of that data that they have is outdated, some of the information they filed with us goes back to 2020,” Hancock said.

Hancock encourages voters to check the status of their registration and ensure all information is up to date. She said there are other measures in place, such as limited or provisional ballots, to make sure that those who are able to vote can vote.

How can I check my voter registration status?

If you are unsure whether you are registered to vote, you can check your status through the Texas Secretary of State office by following this link. Voter registration information can also by found by calling the Brazos County Election Administration office at (979) 361-5770.