Nathan Johnson, a Texas state senator and Democratic candidate for attorney general, announced his intention to investigate Deloitte and other state vendor contracts following a software error that led to the failure of processing voter registrations for at least 178,000 Texans.
This issue arose after Deloitte installed a software update on the Department of Public Safety's servers in 2025, which was only identified in September, just over a month before the 2026 midterm elections.
Johnson criticized Texas Republicans for outsourcing essential government functions and indicated that the voter registration issue is part of a broader concern regarding the state's reliance on contractors. He aims to review the outsourcing processes and individual contracts if elected.
Deloitte currently holds six active contracts with the Department of Public Safety valued at $84.46 million, and a total of 30 contracts across 16 state agencies worth $2.02 billion. The voter registration backlog has raised alarms, especially as it coincides with critical elections in Texas, where Democrats are seeking to regain statewide office for the first time since 1994.
Johnson's comments reflect a growing concern about election integrity, as he noted that the failure to process these registrations could undermine voter confidence. The situation has also drawn criticism from Republican lawmakers, indicating a bipartisan recognition of the issue's seriousness.
Johnson's investigation could have significant implications for Deloitte's future contracts and the state's approach to outsourcing government functions