Texas voters listed in “suspense” status are still registered to vote, Denton County Elections Administration said this week, seeking to clarify reports about roughly 1.2 million Texas voter records carrying the designation.
A voter is generally placed on the suspense list when a county voter registrar has reason to believe the voter no longer lives at the address on file. One common reason is a voter registration certificate being returned as undeliverable.
The designation does not mean the voter’s registration has been suspended or canceled. The Texas Secretary of State confirms that a person on the suspense list remains a registered voter with the same voting rights until the voter’s status is updated or the registration is eventually canceled under the state’s list-maintenance process.
When an address question arises, the county sends a forwardable confirmation notice asking the voter to verify a current residence address.
Voters on the suspense list who have not moved or have moved within the same county can generally vote after completing a Statement of Residence. The form provides election officials with the voter’s current address and must be completed before the voter is accepted for voting.
Voters who have moved to another Texas county face different requirements. Those who do not register in their new county by the Oct. 5 registration deadline may qualify to cast a limited ballot in their new county during early voting. Limited ballots are available in person only at the main early voting location and contain statewide races and district contests shared by the voter’s former and new counties.
A voter is not removed from the rolls simply for failing to respond to an address confirmation notice. Under Texas law, a voter who does not respond or vote remains on the suspense list through two federal general elections before the registration can be canceled.
Denton County Elections said the number of voters in suspense status fluctuates as Texans move and election officials work to verify addresses.
The county said statewide suspense totals have ranged from about 1.2 million to 2.1 million during election cycles dating to 2020.
The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 3 election is Monday, Oct. 5. Early voting runs Oct. 19-30.
Denton County voters with questions about their registration status can contact Denton County Elections Administration at 940-349-3200.
