County puts 175,000 voters ‘in suspense’

Accounts include people displaced by Hurricane Harvey

The Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector is seeking updated address information for roughly 175,000 voters in Harris County, including some displaced by Hurricane Harvey, whose accounts have been classified as “in suspense” ahead of the March primary election.

Mike Lykes, chief of staff of administration for the tax office, said those voters need to update their address information — they can update their information by mail, in person at the tax office or at the polls, where they can fill out a statement of residency.

The voter registration deadline is Feb. 5, but voters in suspense remain active voters.

The suspense classification occurs when the tax office sends out a voter registration notice and the notice cannot be delivered. Roughly 10 percent of all notices sent out typically make the suspense list, in many cases because the individual has moved.

After Harvey, however, people who are displaced or whose homes have been damaged or destroyed may be placed on the list.

Lykes said the tax office will cross-check the list of individuals on the suspense list with a national database that tracks people’s address changes and send letters to people who have moved to try to get them to update the address information.

The letters will include a form that people can fill out to update their information.

State law does not allow individuals to register to vote or update registration information online, Lykes said.

Rice University political scientist Robert Stein said dealing with updating address information means a corresponding increase in paperwork for prospective voters, which could deter people from voting.

He said filling out paperwork at the polls can make lines longer, turning some away.

“It will add to the cost of voting,” he said.