DALLAS — The Dallas County Elections Commission is excited to announce the appointment of Heider Garcia as the next Dallas County Elections Administrator, effective December 20, 2023. Mr. Garcia has extensive experience in large-scale election programs, working with elections technology and in elections administration for the last 20 years. He served as the Elections Manager in Placer County, California from 2016-2018, as the Elections Administrator in Tarrant County, Texas from 2018-2023 and is currently a Senior Election Subject Matter Expert for the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
In response to the upcoming retirement of current Elections Administrator Michael Scarpello, the Dallas County Elections Commission met on October 18, 2023, interviewed and vetted qualified candidates, and voted to appoint Heider Garcia to the position of Election Administrator with a start date of December 20, 2023.
“I am honored by the decision of the Dallas County Elections Commission to offer me the position of Elections Administrator. I will be very humble in my new role and work really hard to follow in Michael’s footsteps. Dallas County deserves the best and I intend to work with that goal in mind,” said Heider Garcia.
Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins, who serves as the Chair of the Commission, said, “I’d like to thank the members of the Election Commission for their work. We had two great preferred candidates, and ultimately chose Heider Garcia who has a proven track record of running excellent elections in several places, most recently Tarrant County. Elected officials of both parties and former Texas Secretaries of State praise Heider for his thoroughness, fairness, and leadership abilities.”
“Mr. Garcia’s experience and reputation as an Elections Administrator in a large county will aid in his success as the Dallas County Elections Administrator,” said Tax Assessor John R. Ames, who serves as Secretary of the Commission. “I’m excited about his ideas to improve voter registration and voter turnout in Dallas County.”
Dallas County Democratic Party Chair Kardal Coleman added, “Based on his experience, skills, and innovative track record, we are confident that Mr. Garcia will make a hard-working, successful Dallas County Elections Department even better.”
The Dallas County Elections Commission is a five-member, statutorily created board, charged with the hiring of an elections administrator. County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins serves as Chair, County Clerk John Warren serves as Vice-Chair, Tax Assessor/Collector John Ames serves as Secretary and Democratic Party Chair Kardal Coleman, and Republican Party Chair Jennifer Stoddard Hajdu serve as members.
