Tarrant County, Texas Elections Administrator Heider Garcia has submitted his resignation to Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare, effective June 23, 2023.
Garcia’s decision comes ahead of the May 6 general election in Tarrant County. He expressed his reasons for resigning in a letter addressed to the new O’Hare County Judge and Tarrant County Administrator GK Maenius.
In the letter, Garcia wrote: “Judge O’Hare, my formula for ‘administering transparent elections’ is based on respect and zero politics; compromising these values is not an option for me. In our last meeting you made it clear that your formula is different, hence my decision to leave. I wish him the best; Tarrant County deserves you to find success.”
Garcia’s resignation comes after Tarrant County faced significant problems processing mail-in ballots during the 2020 election. More than 20,000 of the estimated 60,000 mail-in ballots had trouble reading the tabs, which which led to delays and concerns about the accuracy of the results. It was revealed that the mail-in ballots used in Tarrant County were printed by Runbeck Printing in Arizona, the same company that printed the ballots for Maricopa County’s 2020 and 2022 elections, which also faced issues of impression
The former Smartmatic executive was hired in 2018 by Tarrant County and chaired the 2020 general election in Tarrant County. The county voted in a Democratic president for the first time in 56 years.
Garcia’s departure raises questions about the future of election administration in Tarrant County and what steps will be taken to address the challenges facing recent elections. The issue of transparency and the handling of mail-in ballots are likely to be areas of focus as the county moves forward with the upcoming election.
After the 2022 midterm elections, the relationship between Republican state leaders in Texas and election officials in Democratic-leaning Harris County, which includes the city of Houston, has reached a boiling point. Republicans accuse Harris County officials of “election irregularities” that led to delays in opening polls, ballot shortages and staffing problems on Election Day, among other allegations.
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced in November that she was tasked with opening an investigation into the county’s midterm elections following requests from Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Secretary of State Texas.
In a letter dated Nov. 14, the secretary of state informed Ogg that he was seeking to review “possible illegal conduct in relation to the handling of blank ballots” during the election. State officials say their preliminary investigation, based on interviews with election judges, found the county may have violated at least two sections of the Texas Election Code.
State officials have declined to answer questions about possible criminal charges against Harris County, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation. The Secretary of State’s office also said it had sent staff to Harris County on Election Day to help resolve any issues. It is in the midst of this intense scrutiny of the Texas state election that Garcia is resigning.
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