Tarrant County is in the market for a new elections chief, leaving some wondering who would want the job after the current administrator resigned over conflicts with the county judge.
Heider Garcia has run Tarrant County鈥檚 election department since 2018, and his job performance has across the state. He announced his resignation in a letter dated April 16, citing a difference in values with the county鈥檚 top elected official, County Judge Tim O鈥橦are.
鈥淛udge O鈥橦are, my formula to 鈥榓dminister a quality transparent election鈥� stands on respect and zero politics; compromising on these values is not an option for me,鈥� Garcia wrote in the letter. 鈥淵ou made it clear in our last meeting that your formula is different, thus, my decision to leave. I wish you the best; Tarrant County deserves that you find success.鈥�
O鈥橦are, a Republican, has shown an interest in county elections since he began campaigning for County Judge. In February, he, along with District Attorney Phil Sorrells and Sheriff Bill Waybourn, announced the creation of an Election Integrity Task Force to prosecute election crimes, even though . He did not consult Garcia in that effort. O鈥橦are also indicated this month that he.
Garcia did not respond to a request for comment for this story, and O鈥橦are declined to discuss the specifics of his meeting with Garcia.
Now O鈥橦are is one of the people in charge of finding Garcia鈥檚 replacement. He serves on the county鈥檚 Election Commission, which is charged with The commission meets at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 25 to accept Garcia鈥檚 resignation and start the hiring process.
In a time where elections officials are under threat, and support from county government is not guaranteed, finding Garcia鈥檚 replacement may not be easy, said Beth Stevens, who previously worked with the and Harris County Elections.
鈥淭he nature of the role of running elections across the country has become increasingly politicized over the last five, seven, eight years,鈥� Stevens said. 鈥淚 think you will find that a general concern for folks who work in elections no matter what role.鈥�
Last year in Gillespie County, west of Austin, the elections administrator and her two deputies all .
O鈥橦are approved hiring Garcia 5 years ago
County Commissioners talked about Garcia鈥檚 departure at a heated meeting on April 18, where Democratic County Commissioner Roy Charles Brooks blamed O鈥橦are for Garcia鈥檚 resignation.
鈥淭he system was not broken. It was made to be broken. It was broken by the hand of you, Judge O鈥橦are,鈥� Brooks said.
O鈥橦are denied that he pressured Garcia to quit.
Five years ago, when he was a member of the Election Commission, O鈥橦are voted to hire Garcia, who was the unanimous selection. The commission is made up of the county judge, the the , and the chairs of the local Republican and Democratic parties. O鈥橦are was the chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party at the time.
Picking a new elections administrator requires a majority vote from the commission鈥檚 members.
In an interview with 四虎影院 and the Fort Worth Report, O鈥橦are gave a preview of what he is looking for in an elections administrator candidate.
鈥淪omeone that you know that everyone can trust, and someone that everyone will have confidence in, that they will run an election down the middle, follow the law, and not favor one group over another,鈥� O鈥橦are said.
That ideal person would also not be so open with reporters, O鈥橦are said.
鈥淢y belief is the elections administrator is someone that runs elections, not someone that submits themselves for media interviews over and over and over,鈥� O鈥橦are said.
As elections administrator, Garcia has opened his office to journalists and election skeptics, working to clear up questions and concerns about the election process. Besides earning praise from local and statewide officials, he鈥檚 also a recognized leader in his field and is the vice president of the .
鈥淚f you were building a prototype for an elections administrator, you would just copy Heider Garcia,鈥� then-Secretary of State John Scott .
O鈥橦are and the current Tarrant County Republican Party Chair, Rick Barnes, are not as satisfied with Garcia. Both expressed displeasure at how long it took for results to be released during the March 2022 primary. That delay was due to a computer glitch, and election workers had to adapt to get the results out at all, Garcia told 四虎影院 at the time.
Barnes also serves on the Election Commission and he has criticized Garcia for speaking at the Texas Legislature on bills related to elections.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a number of election integrity bills being addressed in Austin right now by the state reps and the state senators, and there鈥檚 nobody from here that should be down there fighting against any of those in our administrative roles, or even talking against those,鈥� Barnes said.
Barnes didn鈥檛 specify a particular bill, but Garcia was in Austin in March, on behalf of the Texas Association of Elections Administrators and himself, not on behalf of Tarrant County.
Elections administrators should only share their expertise and opinions with county officials, Barnes said. Going to Austin 鈥渋s way stepping out of bounds.鈥�
Election job comes with safety concerns and threats, survey shows
Barnes isn鈥檛 worried that Garcia鈥檚 controversial departure will dissuade anyone from applying for his job.
鈥淲e鈥檙e a top five county in the state of Texas. People want to be in these five counties,鈥� he said.
Allison Campolo isn鈥檛 so sure. She鈥檚 the chair of the Tarrant County Democratic Party, and another member of the Election Commission. Her immediate reaction to the news of Garcia鈥檚 resignation was frustration, she said.
鈥淚t makes me very nervous that Judge O鈥橦are may be making such a hostile environment that our next elections administrator may have a difficult time as well,鈥� she said.
O鈥橦are鈥檚 Election Integrity Task Force is designed to scare people, Campolo said, and the Republican Party鈥檚 focus on alleged , has made administering elections harder. Elections across the country, including in Tarrant County, underwent following the 2020 election. No evidence of widespread voter fraud has been found that would have influenced the election results.
So who would want Garcia鈥檚 job?
That鈥檚 a great question, Campolo said.
鈥淲e also now have to deal with this very scary, and dangerous, and frankly weird anti-voting rhetoric that鈥檚 coming out of certain parts of the country, and infiltrating not just national elections, but is having an enormous effect on state and local elections,鈥� she said.
Like elections administrators across the country, Garcia said he from right-wing election conspiracy theorists after the 2020 presidential election, which
In, Garcia shared screenshots of some of the social media posts about him during that time.
鈥淕o find this guy, he needs some new teeth,鈥� one person wrote.
鈥淸Expletive] needs a traditional Irish dirt nap,鈥� said another.
Another social media poster shared Garcia鈥檚 home address. The Tarrant County Sheriff鈥檚 Office coordinated patrols around his neighborhood, Garcia wrote.
Garcia isn鈥檛 alone. Nearly one in three election officials know someone who left the job in part due to safety concerns and intimidation, , a nonpartisan law and policy institute.
The Brennan Center conducted 596 interviews with election officials across the United States.
Nearly three times as many election officials said they were 鈥渧ery worried鈥� about interference from political leaders compared to 2020, the survey found.
That鈥檚 a big part of why so many elections officials want to leave, according to the survey. One in five local election officials said they were somewhat or very unlikely to continue serving through 2024.
鈥淧oliticians鈥� attacks on the system, stress, and retirement plans are the primary reasons they plan to leave their jobs,鈥� the survey report states.
Appointing a nonpartisan elections administrator 鈥榩aramount and crucial鈥�
The Tarrant County Election Commission has not met since February 2021. In 2011the commission鈥檚 only task is the 鈥渁ppointment, acceptance of resignation, or recommendation for termination of a county elections administrator.鈥�
There are currently no opportunities for public comment at the upcoming Election Commission meeting, according to an agenda posted Friday, April 21. In the past, members of the public have been allowed to speak at such meetings.
If public comments are not allowed at Tuesday鈥檚 meeting, the public can also address the chair of the commission, O鈥橦are, at Commissioners Court.
It is critical that the public be involved in the selection process, Stevens, the election expert, said.
鈥淢aking sure that they are there to be able to provide their feedback to the commission is very important,鈥� Stevens said.
The meeting will 鈥渂asically be to set up posting the notice for the new elections administrator,鈥� O鈥橦are said.
Commission members will accept Garcia鈥檚 resignation, then immediately go into closed session to discuss personnel matters and get advice from legal counsel about appointment of the elections administrator and the role of the Election Commission in the search and selection process.
After the closed session, the commission could take action related to the elections administrator鈥檚 employment status, according to the meeting鈥檚 agenda.
Texas law makes it clear that the position of elections administrator is a nonpartisan, professional role, Stevens said.
鈥淭he nonpartisan nature of the elections administrator is, I think, paramount and crucial,鈥� Stevens said.
To serve as an elections administrator, a candidate must be able to vote in Texas. They also cannot be a candidate for public office. It is considered a misdemeanor if an elections administrator makes a political contribution, or publicly supports or opposes a candidate for public office or a measure to be voted on at an election while serving in their role.
Stevens said in Garcia鈥檚 letter of resignation to O鈥橦are, he summed up the path to finding his successor.
鈥淚 think Mr. Garcia said it really well at the end of this letter,鈥� Stevens said. 鈥淗e said that Tarrant County deserves to find success, and I think if the Election Commission will utilize that as their sort of guiding star, then they can find an administrator who can come in and provide a steady hand.鈥�
At the Commissioners Court meeting on April 18, Republican County Commissioner Manny Ramirez thanked Garcia for his service. He didn鈥檛 cast blame for Garcia鈥檚 departure, but he did say that elections employees need to know their county government has their backs.
鈥淚 think what鈥檚 important is that they know that they鈥檝e got the support of the court up here, and that we value what they do and we will continue to do so,鈥� said Ramirez.
When asked if he agreed with that statement, O鈥橦are said he鈥檇 support employees who do a good job.
鈥淭he role of a county judge or a governor or a president or a mayor is to hold people accountable. It鈥檚 to uphold the public trust in their government,鈥� O鈥橦are said. 鈥淚 think you would find that I鈥檝e been nothing but respectful and encouraging to our county employees.鈥�
Got a tip? Email Miranda Suarez at msuarez@kera.org. You can follow Miranda on Twitter @MirandaRSuarez.
Email Rachel Behrdnt at rachel.behrndt@fortworthreport.org. You can follow Rachel on Twitter @BehrndtRachel.
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