On Texas' Voter Suspense List? You Can Still Vote — Here Is the Statement of Residence Step, and Why Early Voting Matters If You Moved Counties
Being flagged on the suspense list does not cancel a registration. Voters who stayed in their county sign a Statement of Residence at the polls; voters who moved counties can use a limited ballot only during early voting, which ends Friday.
Texas entered the final week of early voting on Monday with a large share of its roll carrying an address question. Reporting at the start of early voting put about 1.8 million Texans on the state's voter suspense list — voters a registrar has reason to believe may have moved, for example when a voter registration certificate or jury summons comes back undeliverable.
Suspense is not a suspension. A voter on the list remains registered, and a voter who has not moved, or who moved within the same county, can vote by signing a Statement of Residence at the polling location, which also updates the registration record. 'There are still options for you to cast a ballot in the election. Your registration still counts,' Alicia Pierce, a spokesperson for the Texas Secretary of State's office, said in reporting on the list this week.
The one deadline that matters most is for voters who moved to a different county: they can cast a limited ballot — state and federal races, without local races — only during early voting, and only through Friday, October 30. On Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, a voter in that position would instead be looking at a provisional ballot. Voters can check their registration status through VoteTexas.gov or their county elections office before they go.
