A sign points voters into the polling place at Austin City Hall as early voting begins for the March primary elections in Texas, Feb. 17, 2026. Voters can cast their ballots to decide who represents Republicans and Democrats in the November midterm elections.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
More than 1.2 million Texas voters are on the state’s voter “suspense” list ahead of the November election, fueling concern online among some Democratic and progressive voices who say the list is part of Republican-backed efforts to suppress voting rights. State election officials, however, are pushing back against what they say are false claims about the list.
The voter suspense list has existed since 1995, and voters placed on it remain eligible to vote if they confirm or update their address, Secretary of State spokesperson Alicia Pierce said.
Article continues below this ad
Pierce said the number of voters on the list was “not unusually high.” A review of the office’s voter registration records shows the state has had more than 1.2 million voters on the list during previous election cycles.
The number of voters on Texas’ suspense list has fluctuated in recent years. It reached a recent high of about 2.1 million in March 2024.
March 2022: 1.23 million
November 2022: 1.82 million
January 2023: 1.30 million
November 2023: 1.51 million
January 2024: 1.79 million
March 2024: 2.11 million
November 2024: 2.01 million
January 2025: 1.15 million
November 2025: 1.13 million
Despite claims circulating across social media, being on the voter suspense list does not mean a voter is ineligible to vote or has been purged from the state’s voter rolls. Voters on the suspense list remain registered and have the same voting rights as other registered voters.
Article continues below this ad
Can voters on the suspense list still vote?
Voters who remain at the address on their registration can vote by completing a Statement of Residence when voting by mail or in person. The form confirms their address and removes their suspense status, according to the Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar’s office.
If voters have moved, they can update their address online or by filling out a new voter registration application before the deadline. The voter registration deadline for the November election is Oct. 5.
A voter’s registration can be canceled if the voter remains on the suspense list for two federal election cycles without confirming an address or voting. But being placed on the list does not immediately mean a voter cannot vote.
Article continues below this ad
How can I check if I’m on the suspense list?
Austin-area voters can check their registration through the state’s portal or online at the Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar’s office website. Voters on the suspense list will see their status listed as “suspense.”
A voter’s status will be listed as “suspense” on the state’s portal if election officials have information indicating the voter’s address may have changed.
Texas Secretary of State website
Texas voters can check their registration status through the Secretary of State’s “Am I Registered?” portal using their Voter Unique Identifier, Texas driver’s license number or first and last name.
Article continues below this ad
The list was initially created in response to the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which took effect in 1995, and requires states to maintain accurate voter registration rolls.
County officials add voters to the list when they cannot confirm a voter’s address or believe the voter has moved, usually because a renewal voter registration certificate or jury summons sent by mail is returned as undeliverable. County voter registrars mail new voter registration certificates every two years to each voter’s most recent address on record.
How many Travis County voters are on the “suspense” list?
According to data from the Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar’s office, 151,333 of the county’s 934,748 registered voters, or about 16%, are on the suspense list as of September 2026. That number has been higher ahead of earlier election cycles.
Article continues below this ad
In March 2024, there were 161,563 voters on the list, and in May, there were 162,325.
A spokesperson for the county’s office said that the number of voters on the list typically increases after the office completes the required mass mailing of renewal certificates, which normally happens in December of odd-numbered years.
This cycle, the office completed the mass mailing in January, with roughly 90,000 certificates returned as undeliverable. The law requires the office to mail a Notice of Address Confirmation and place those voters on the list until they confirm or update their residence or appear at a polling place to vote.
“There is a lot of energy around the upcoming election, and for that, we are grateful,” said Celia Israel, Travis County tax assessor-collector and voter registrar. “I encourage everyone to check [online] to verify their address and their status as we prepare for the November election.”
Article continues below this ad
Israel encouraged voters on the list who have not moved to go vote. Those who have changed addresses should update their registration by Oct. 5 to be removed from the list, she said.
When can a voter have their registration canceled?
If a voter remains on the suspense list after two federal election cycles without confirming their address or voting, their registration will be canceled and they will be removed from the state’s voter rolls.
Article continues below this ad
This process does not happen until December of even-numbered years. Travis County officials said the next cancellation is scheduled for December 2026, after the November election. The mass cancellation will result in a decrease in the number of voters on the suspense list at the end of this year.