Spring-area seniors are among 87,049 Texas residents aged 65 and older who received mail-in ballot applications with a printing error that left too few spaces for their ID numbers.

The Voter Participation Center (VPC), a national nonprofit, began mailing the flawed applications during the week of Wednesday, Aug. 26. The forms arrived pre-filled with voters' names and addresses but provided only four boxes for a driver's license or state ID number. Texas law requires all eight digits.

ABC13 Houston first reported the error after a viewer contacted the station about the short form. Reports of the same problem have surfaced in Hunt, Williamson and Collin counties.

The Harris County Clerk's Office, led by County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth, confirmed the applications did not come from the county. The office said the VPC forms did not provide enough space for voters to enter their Texas driver's license, state ID, or election identification certificate numbers.

The VPC acknowledged the mistake in a statement issued Wednesday, Aug. 26. The nonprofit said it has contacted county election administrators and is routing an updated message through the state election office to all affected counties. Follow-up postcards will direct recipients to a state website where they can correct an application already submitted.

What Spring-area voters should do

Residents who received the flawed form should not use it. The Harris County Clerk's Office directed voters to HarrisVotes.com to download an official application for a mail-in ballot ahead of the Tuesday, Nov. 3 general election. Voters can also email [email protected] or call 713-755-6965.

Texas voters 65 and older qualify to vote by mail without providing a reason. Applications must include a full eight-digit Texas driver's license number, personal identification card number, or election identification certificate number. Voters may instead provide the last four digits of their Social Security number.

Corrected applications with all eight ID boxes are expected to arrive around Wednesday, Sept. 9.