Bexar County Elections Department falls short on plan to clear 80 of voter application backlog

Bexar County Elections Administrator Michele Carew revealed that her department managed to process only 20,000 of 52,000 pending voter registrations, achieving just 38% of its goal by the registration deadline. An anonymous whistleblower from the department warned that staff fatigue could lead to mistakes in processing applications, raising concerns about voter disenfranchisement. Carew confirmed that staff worked 12-hour shifts, including weekends, to address the backlog, but admitted that a glitch in a new processing system caused a setback. This glitch resulted in employees encountering the same application multiple times, complicating their efforts. The whistleblower criticized the county leadership for prioritizing political fallout over addressing operational failures.

Carew expressed hope that the department could meet its target before early voting starts on October 20. The situation highlights the challenges faced by election officials amid increasing voter registration demands. As the November election approaches, the integrity of the registration process remains in question.