Election Day is November 4
A friend I’ll call Mary received a confusing letter in the mail this week. Although she’s lived in her Lake Highlands home for 34 years and been a Dallas County resident for more than three many decades, she’d been dumped from the voter registration rolls, the letter stated.
I’ve agreed not to use her real name because, although she’s a regular voter and well-known in the community, she’s not political. She prefers to stay out of political discussions.
“NOTICE OF CANCELLATION,” the letter read. “Notice is hereby given that your voter registration has been cancelled in Dallas County 10/10/2025. Notice was received from the Secretary of State that you are currently registered to vote in another Texas county.”
Mary was bewildered. She hadn’t registered to vote in another Texas county. She moved here from Coppell 34 years ago.
“You may request a hearing on the cancellation of your registration by submitting a written request for such hearing. If you request a hearing, a notice will be mailed to you setting for the date of the hearing. The hearing will be scheduled within ten (10) days after your request or on a later date if you so request.”
Wait, what? Request a hearing? To reinstate her right to vote?
“If after the hearing, the voter registrar determines that your registration shall remain cancelled, you are entitled to appeal the adverse decision issued by the voter registrar by petitioning for review in district court not later than the 30th day after the adverse decision is issued.”
Holy cow, district court?!?
“If you should have any questions regarding this cancellation, please contact the Voter Registration Department at (469) 627-VOTE.”
The letter was dated October 11, 2025 and signed by Heider Garcia, Elections Administrator. That raised a red flag, since Garcia resigned in August. Paul Adams replaced him earlier this month.
Mary tried calling Adams a few times and couldn’t get through, so she left a detailed message. After a couple of tries, I reached a friendly woman at the Voter Registration Department who explained the problem.
“We have a new system, and we just haven’t gotten the kinks worked out yet,” she told me. “A lot of people received that letter in error.”
The issue originated in the Texas Secretary of State’s office, she explained, where persons ineligible to vote are being ferreted out. Mary, though, is properly registered and ready for the November election.
If you believe you’ve received this letter in error, you’re advised to call 469-627-VOTE (8683). You’ll want to keep the letter handy and provide the VUID number at the top. You may also check your voter registration status online here.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 4, and early voting begins October 20.