Texas on Offense: The Path Forward to Strengthen Our Elections
Elections in Texas follow a rigorous system of checks and balances that ensures every election is free, fair, and secure. In recent years, however, we’ve seen bad actors exploit weaknesses in state law — fueling misinformation, legal battles, and spurious attempts to overturn the will of the voters.
This fact sheet outlines three commonsense policy solutions that Texas lawmakers and election administrators can consider to close those gaps — before and after Election Day.* For a deeper dive into the national context and proven solutions, see our full report, “States on Offense: The Path Forward to Strengthen Our Elections.” For more information, please contact us here.
Three Fixes for Stronger Texas Elections
- Maintain accurate voter rolls by expanding electronic voter registration to all eligible voters in Texas and enhancing election officials’ access to state agency data.
- Protect against errors by conducting statewide post-election audits before certification to identify and correct any discrepancies.
- Increase voter confidence by upgrading Texas voting systems to allow voters to verify their choices before votes are tabulated.
| Texas Elections By the Numbers |
|---|
| Registered Voters: 18,623,931 Voter Turnout (Registered Voters %): 2022 [51%]; 2024 [71%] |
| Voting Methods (Election Day/Early In-Person/Mail %): 2022: 32%/64%/4%; 2024: 20%/76%/3% |
| Recent Attempts to Exploit Election Vulnerabilities: State Officials Vastly Overstate the Number of Noncitizens on State Voter Rolls Courts Throw Out Nearly Two Dozen Attempts to Reverse Harris County Election Results in 2022 |
Fix #1: Keep Voter Rolls Accurate
Lawmakers can enable eligible voters to register to vote and update their voter information online, helping election officials maintain accurate and up-to-date voting lists. Lawmakers can also enhance data sharing among state agencies and improve public reporting of voter list maintenance activities.
For over a decade, states have utilized electronic voter registration systems. Still, Texas is one of only seven remaining states (and, by far, the most populous) that does not offer this secure and convenient option to all eligible voters. This secure, online tool allows voters to register or update their information online, which in turn helps election officials maintain more accurate voter lists. Additionally, county officials responsible for list maintenance require access to modern systems and state agency data to fulfill their duties of keeping lists up to date. While records of county list maintenance activities are public, they can be challenging to access. Public confidence may improve if information about systematic periodic list maintenance were more easily accessible.
Fix #2: Implement Statewide Audits Before Certification
By requiring audits before elections are certified, lawmakers can empower election officials to detect and resolve issues, thereby increasing accuracy and public confidence.
This year, Texas passed legislation that requires counties to conduct a partial hand count audit following most elections. However, these audits are not complete until after certification, which limits the ability of election officials to address any discrepancies that may arise. Lawmakers can consider adopting a system similar to that used in Arizona, where the partial hand count concludes before certification and includes a remedial process for any discrepancies found.
Fix #3: Create State Standards for Voting Systems
Lawmakers and state election officials can support the transition to voter-verifiable voting systems and remove the requirement that voting systems comply with federal Election Assistance Commission (EAC) standards.
Many Texas counties have upgraded their voting systems to allow voters to verify their selections on paper ballots before tabulation. However, some counties have not yet made this transition. In addition, the Secretary of State’s current guidance — not required by law — requires all equipment to meet federal EAC standards, the status of which is currently unclear due to a recent executive order.
*This resource is strictly nonpartisan and for educational use only. It is 501(c)(3) compliant and not intended for any partisan, political, or electioneering activities.