AUSTIN — Advocates accused Texas of failing to provide voter registration services to thousands of people with disabilities in a letter sent Monday to state agencies.

Under the National Voter Registration Act, Texas must provide the services to people who receive job training from the state. The Coalition of Texans with Disabilities said the Texas Workforce Commission has failed to do so since taking over the state's job training responsibilities in September 2016. Lawyers for the coalition allege that each year, between 74,000 and 100,000 Texans with disabilities are not being offered voter registration services.

If the commission is not brought under compliance, the advocates say they are prepared to sue the state to force it to resume the voter registration services.

"We are inviting [the Texas Workforce Commission] to meet with us immediately to resolve these issues and enter into full compliance with the [National Voter Registration Act]. If, however, they fail to remedy these violations, we will pursue legal action," Beth Stevens, an attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project who is representing the coalition, said in a prepared statement. "It's time for Texas to guarantee that everyone can enjoy full participation in our democracy, starting by having a fair shot at registering to vote."

The lawyers said the issue started when the state Legislature phased out the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services — a recognized voter registration agency — in 2016. When the department was shuttered in the state's "sunset" process, its responsibilities — including voter registration — were transferred to the Texas Workforce Commission.

"Yet — without further explanation or any obvious, valid reason — TWC has officially taken the position that, as of the effective date of the transition, 'voter registration requirements no longer apply to applicants for vocational rehabilitation services,'" the letter from the lawyers reads. "TWC's refusal to offer voter registration services to its clients thus conflicts with longstanding DARS policy as well as federal and state law."

In the letter, lawyers for the coalition ask for a meeting with Texas secretary of state officials "to assist in developing a comprehensive plan for full compliance" and threaten to sue if the state does not "remedy its violation."

The secretary of state's office and the Texas Workforce Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.