Mohammed, who asked to be identified by his first name only, went to Addison Town Hall ready to vote. He says he had his valid Texas driver\u2019s license but poll workers were unable to pull up his name on the voter rolls by using his license or by looking up his name manually.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve been voting since 2018, and this has never ever happened to me before,\u201d Mohammed said.<\/p>\n
Mohammed says he was eventually told he had to drive to a different location and cast a limited ballot. <\/p>\n
A limited ballot is an option for voters who have moved to a different Texas county without updating their voter registration in time. According to the Texas Secretary of State website, a person entitled to vote a limited ballot may vote on all statewide races and any district offices that are in common between the former and new counties of residence.<\/p>\n
Mohammed said he chose not to cast one because he wanted to make sure his vote was counted.<\/p>\n
He later shared his experience on social media, questioning why his name couldn’t be found and what he needed to do to resolve the issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would have at least appreciated some communication, especially since I made sure to change my address. I made sure to register in time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The next day, Mohammed tried voting again at Oak Lawn Public Library, where he said he was able to vote without any problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had no issues. Went in and scanned my license and cast my vote,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
So what happened?<\/p>\n
Dallas County Elections told NBC 5 that Mohammed was on the state’s voter suspense list when he first tried to vote. The department said his status later cleared, which allowed him to vote without issue at Oak Lawn Public Library the following day.<\/p>\n
The suspense list includes registered voters whose addresses may need to be verified. Being on the list does not mean a person’s voter registration has been canceled. Voters may still cast a ballot but could be asked to confirm their residence.<\/p>\n
State figures reported by The Dallas Morning News show nearly 1.8 million Texas voters were on the suspense list.<\/p>\n
Mohammed said being on the list was news to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is my first time hearing about that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
After making multiple trips to the polls, Mohammed hopes other voters can avoid similar confusion.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd of course, start early. Early voting exists for a reason,\u201d he said. \u201cI think that’s the biggest advice that I can give is start early.\u201d<\/p>\n