WebMonths after the unexpected resignation of Heider Garcia as the @Tarrantcountytx election administrator, @TimothyOHare and the rest of the Tarrant County Election Commission have found a replacement in the chief deputy of the county clerk's office. Campolo blames OHare, who campaigned on election integrity and cutting the countys budget, for politicizing voting. This tactic was praised by local and state election officials and others across the country. Tarrant County officials are considering hiring as election chief a prominent Republican donor and activist who has baselessly criticized the security of the countys elections and appears to have no previous experience running an election. They are creating problems with their behavior and then theyll point to those problems and say we were right the whole time.. This story has been updated throughout with additional comment. Tarrant County Elections Administrator Heider Garcia receives updated ballot counts from Troy Havard, the countys assistant elections administrator, on election night last week in Fort Worth. You can follow Miranda on Twitter @MirandaRSuarez. If the answer is Because weve always done it that way, theres got to be a better answer, Barnes said. And I cannot imagine if you do not have a county judge and commissioners who trust you, and who understand, then its just that much more difficult, Huntley said. Tarrant County Elections Administrator Heider Garcia goes through boxes of ballots to be recounted by an election integrity group in Fort Worth on July 22, 2022. It was broken by the hand of you, Judge OHare, Brooks said. In a heated meeting, Tarrant County leaders cast blame and expressed concern over the sudden resignation of the countys elections chief. Tarrant elections administrator His departure will be a detriment to the voters of Tarrant County.. If we cant keep somebody as dedicated and professional as Heider as our EA here in Tarrant then whos going to be next, she said. On Wednesday, county elections administrator Heider Garcia provided more specifics into the technical issue they ran into with their systems Tuesday. So can you kind of tell us more about what this lawsuit that she filed against Heider Garcia actually revolved around? Heider Garcia received an engineering degree in Venezuela in 2003 and soon thereafter went to work for Smartmatic, for twelve years, then in 2018 he was hired as the election administrator for Tarrant County, Texas, which hadnt gone blue since 1964 but supposedly did in 2020, just coincidence? If you need help with the Public File, call (713) 778-4745. I am the Service Team Editor. 22 Jun 2023 22:15:00 on May 6, OHare said the piece of equipment was too expensive. On Election Day, Garcias staff phone bank operators, voter registration staffers and other clerks in the elections office began their shifts before 6 a.m. KERA News Weekday Update Newsletter Signup, he couldn't run a fair, unbiased election, he wouldnt rule out someone who had questioned the results of the 2020 election, a conservative voter fraud activist who once sued Garcia, Tarrant County judge, commissioners clash at meeting over resignation of elections administrator. Theres an expectation that the [elections administrator] will play politics, he said and added that he hopes there are enough reasonable members of the Elections Commission that will not vote for a partisan candidate, given that the job is meant to be nonpartisan. She came to KERA from NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., where she worked as a news assistant at Weekend All Things Considered. Natalia Contreras is a reporter for Votebeat in partnership with the Texas Tribune. Initially for safety reasons, but now to get up to speed on the latest election conspiracy theories, Garcia daily monitors right-wing social media channels such as Truth Social. The Texan on Twitter: "Months after the unexpected resignation of Greg Abbott announced the state would conduct an audit. His start date is Aug. 1. The activists suspected malfeasance. Miranda is originally from Massachusetts and started her public radio career at WBUR in Boston. You can trust that I will further Tarrant Countys legacy of conducting free and fair elections that express the will of the people.. But I will tell you it wasnt easy finding Heider Garcia. Scott said as a voter in Tarrant County, having him run elections in his home county was a blessing.. In November 2020, President Joe Biden won Tarrant County by a small margin over former President Donald Trump. She took notes and said she was there to make sure the chain of custody forms for election equipment (as they travel from polling location and back to the elections office) were filled out properly. If [Garcia] tells us he needs something, then were going to get it for him. My team answers reader questions about life in Fort Worth. Garcia Garcia resigned in April after a meeting with Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare, during which he said the two disagreed on values. 22 Jun 2023 22:16:59 But she dropped that suit once she started interviewing for this position, right? If he could do anything to help people understand elections, if he could just let them inside to see everything that we do, he would, said Melynn Huntley, Potter County elections administrator, whose last election will also be May 6, as shes decided to retire after 10 years in elections. We met their expectations, Garcia said. In April, Garcia did an hourslong workshop to walk the public through every step of the election process in Tarrant County. Will Texas put up the money to pay for it? They getting too comfortable in Tarrant County govt, Veasey wrote in his tweet. But Garcia knows that there are different kinds of people he is dealing with. Within hours, Gov. The Election Commission unanimously appointed Clinton Ludwig to replace Heider Garcia. Natalia Contreras covers election administration and voting access for Votebeat in partnership with the Texas Tribune. To some of those workers, it has become clear that no matter how much effort they put into being transparent and accessible, for some skeptics, itll never be enough. Garcia was born in Pennsylvania to Venezuelan parents attending Penn State University. Got a tip? In 2020, former President Donald Trump, who won Texas by a six-point margin, called for an audit of the states results. The group Wiseman has been associated with, Citizens for Election Integrity, has since 2021 publicly questioned the outcome of the 2020 presidential election in Tarrant County and, without evidence, accused Garcia of rigging elections since he took the position in 2018. I want to thank the Tarrant County Commissioners Court and the Tarrant County Election Commission for their confidence in me.. Brazos County elections administrator and TAEA president Trudy Hancock said in a statement, He was open and transparent with his processes. And so what are the next steps in the hiring process for the election administrator? Conspiracy theories swirled around Garcia after that election, and he endured death threats and racist attacks. At what age can children legally be left home alone in Texas? When an elections administrator resigns, the election commission receives the notice from the official. Holly Hansen on Twitter: "RT @TheTexanNews: Months after the Other elections administrators in Texas, and Garcias colleagues, were saddened by news of his departure. Ive learned some tactical patience from Heider, he said. He spends hours on the phone and has in-person meetings with skeptics if needed. Contact Natalia at ncontreras@votebeat.org. That job took him to places like Panama and the Philippines before he signed on as an elections manager in California. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram first reported the finalists names Tuesday. Thank you. Elections Last year, Wiseman was also involved in the groups review of thousands of physical ballots of the 2020 primary election in search of unspecified irregularities. Earlier this month, O'Hare told a crowd at a True Texas Project meeting that he planned to examine Garcias performance after the upcoming May 6 election, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. Garcia took the job in 2018, when election skepticism was already on the rise. In 2018, Garcia took the job in Tarrant County. An audit of the 2020 election process found that Tarrant County runs a quality, transparent election.. At the end of the letter, Garcia addresses OHare, saying, my formula to administer a quality transparent election stands on respect and zero politics; compromising on these values is not an option for me. So this voter had happened to cast her ballot at a Stop Six voting location, which is not where this person lived. I did not ask Heider to resign. Like a lot of elections administrators, Garcia, 43, followed an indirect path to overseeing elections. Longtime auditor Renee Tidwell, too, will leave at the end of the month, and some of the reasons she cited for her departure were less collaboration and more division in county government. Former Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley, a Republican who praised Garcias work, had said he had greatest confidence in him and denied any malfeasance in the countys elections. 23 Jun 2023 12:25:42 Ludwig appears to have experience managing administrative teams. He received racist messages and death threats. This summer, Garcia went a step further, allowing dozens of the activists to spend days in his office so that they could inspect more than 300,000 paper ballots from the March 2020 primary in person a task that took his four- to five-person staff about a month to prepare for, plus a staffer designated to be on hand whenever the activists were present. Tarrant Countys elections administrator Heider Garcia, left, will leave his position June 23. In a statement, OHare said Garcia voluntarily resigned from his position. Brewster is against using electronic voting machines and has spoken regularly about the debunked conspiracy theory that voting machines could possibly be connected to the internet at commissioner court meetings for at least the past year. WebUpdate: Tarrant County picked its new deputy county clerk to run elections, eschewing a GOP activist. Votebeat on Twitter: "Update: Tarrant County picked its new The administrator is the voter registrar for the county. WebUpdate: Tarrant County picked its new deputy county clerk to run elections, eschewing a GOP activist. He welcomed them in and listened. WebUpdate: Tarrant County picked its new deputy county clerk to run elections, eschewing a GOP activist. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Wiseman herself sent letters to voters asking them why they voted outside of their neighborhood. When will we know more about who is going to take on that spot in Tarrant County? Who would want the job? Garcia wrote that his last day will be June 23 to allow his staff to complete duties surrounding upcoming municipal elections and potential runoffs. Thats one of the main pillars of all the work weve done: Lets separate opinion from fact, opinion from policy, Garcia said. Garcia has also made technical improvements to be as transparent as possible: He purchased large TV screens so poll watchers could clearly see the tabulating of election results on election night without hovering over staffers shoulders. The Texan on Twitter: "Months after the unexpected resignation of These are critical times. Miranda Suarez is KERAs Tarrant County accountability reporter. This is what you get when you have commissioners court members playing political chess with our elections process.. I heard about his resignation from the media yesterday, and that was surprising, he said. RT @TheTexanNews: Months after the unexpected resignation of Heider Garcia as the @Tarrantcountytx election administrator, @TimothyOHare and the rest Ludwig doesnt have experience running elections, but his previous roles will still help him in his new one, he said in the statement. And neither will the phone calls with questions, the public information requests seeking to inspect ballots, emails or the in-person meetings with activists who have questions. ", 'We can't help Athena, but we can help others' | Mom of Athena Strand reflects on daughter's legacy, law named after her, Hackers steal personal information on thousands of pilot applicants at American and Southwest, DFW weather: Dangerous heat continues this week, Lawn care expert shares simple -- and cheap -- tips to keep grass green in Texas heat, Texas Association of Election Administrators, The Tarrant County judge race could forecast the county's political future. WebHEIDER GARCIA Elections Administrator TARRANT COUNTY ELECTIONS ADMINISTRATION TROY HAVARD Assistant Elections Administrator Methodology and criteria for selecting locations for the Countywide Polling Place Program Tarrant County will collect and update data related to each precinct in the county, and to each location used He was verified by every audit that was ever done of our election system. (This is standard procedure in Texas.). Holly Hansen on Twitter: "RT @TheTexanNews: Months after the Tension has grown publicly between Garcia and OHare during the past few months. Before coming to North Texas, she was the Lee Ester News Fellow at Wisconsin Public Radio, where she covered statewide news from the capital city of Madison. Elections administrator Heider Garcia resigned in a letter dated April 16 that cited disagreements with OHare over how to run transparent elections. Wisemans resume shows she has previous experience in finance and so does Crosleys. Elections Administrator Heider Garcia resigned Monday and Despite the nearly issue-free election and no criminal charges in the county for fraud, OHare championed Sheriff Bill Waybourn and District Attorney Phil Sorrells for creating an election integrity task force in the county. (Shelby Tauber For The Texas Tribune, Shelby Tauber For The Texas Tribune), hiring someone who has questioned the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election results, which were at the time not yet public by law, asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate. Miranda is originally from Massachusetts and started her public radio career at WBUR in Boston. HUNT HIM DOWN, one person tweeted. You made it clear in our last meeting that your formula is different, thus, my decision is to leave.. WebTarrant County Elections Administration will prefer using locations that are not schools, except when school design is appropriate for conducting elections. Voters in Tarrant County can legally vote at any polling site. Tarrant County Election Administrator Heider Garcia FORT WORTH, Texas Tarrant County is looking for a new person to run its elections after administrator Heider Garcia resigned on Monday. How Texas election official Heider Garcia keeps the peace with right-wing voting activists, faced harassment and racist death threats, became known for taking a different approach, the prototype of an elections administrator, Gov. Contact Natalia at ncontreras@votebeat.org. He was transparent in the operation of the elections office., Whoever replaces Garcia will have to live up to his excellent performance, Brooks said and that Garcias replacement would likely be OHares hand-picked successor.. I sincerely hope that a new administrator is found who has the same level of expertise, respect, and ability to reach across political divides as Heider Garcia.. But that hasnt discouraged Garcia, who local and state officials say is breaking new ground in engaging and calming the burgeoning hysteria around the rules and procedures governing elections. I wish you the best; Tarrant County deserves that you find success.. These groups are going to be actively reviewing records, Garcia said. She joined KERA's Bekah Morr to discuss the ongoing elections administrator selection process. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Some are online trolls driven by hate and trying to intimidate him with violent threats. Go ahead and explain. by Natalia Contreras, Votebeat and The Texas Tribune Tarrant County elections chief finalist sued former Before coming to North Texas, she was the Lee Ester News Fellow at Wisconsin Public Radio, where she covered statewide news from the capital city of Madison. According to LinkedIn Heider Garcia started working on 2003, then the employee has changed 3 companies and 5 jobs. He probably doesnt want me walking around here too much on my own.. From explaining the legality of weed to protecting your home and family from severe storms to finding things to do in town, our team of reporters can help. Davis said Garcias strategy of anticipating what activists want and providing as much information as possible will pay off. In the wake of Garcia's resignation, the county judge was asked whether he would commit to not hiring someone who spread falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump. Tarrant County picked a new elections administrator Friday to replace Heider Garcia, who submitted his resignation earlier this year after he said he faced political pressure from Republican County Judge Tim O'Hare.