‘Embarrassing for Texas.’ Tarrant election chief latest to leave over ‘integrity’ concerns

Tarrant County election administrator Heider Garcia is latest election administrator in Texas to step down over concerns about election integrity.

Garcia resigned in an April 16 letter citing differences with county judge Tim O’Hare over how to administer a “quality, transparent election,” according to a letter obtained by the Star-Telegram.

Michele Carew, who served as Hood County election administrator between August 2020 and November 2021, said the political pressure leading to Garcia’s resignation is becoming more commonplace in Texas.

“It’s honestly embarrassing for Texas elections,” she said. “As an election administrator, we’re brought in, we’re nonpolitical, we do a job, we follow the law, and this is the thanks that we get.”

Carew resigned after a facing months of attacks on her integrity from Hood County officials over unfounded claims of fraud and bias stemming from the 2020 election.

She pointed to three Gillespie County election officials who resigned over similar complaints in August 2022 to frame Garcia’s resignation as part of a statewide trend.

Making people unhappy is part of being an elections administrator in Texas, said Trudy Hancock, president of the Texas Association of Election Administrators.

While Hancock didn’t see Garcia stepping down as part of a trend, she said there has been a lot of turnover in the election administration field since the 2020 presidential election.

“The increased stress can start weighing on you,” she said. “I want to be around a long time for my grandkids.”

Chris Davis, who runs elections in Williamson County, said Garcia’s resignation is a loss for the voters of Tarrant County.

He set the gold standard for Texas elections by being able to prioritize both accuracy and transparency, Davis said.

“His shoes are going to be quite large to fill for anybody to succeed him,” he said.