Garcia will replace Michael Scarpello, who had led the elections department in Dallas since 2020.
Natalia Contreras
Natalia Contreras covers election administration and voting access for Votebeat in partnership with The Texas Tribune. She has covered a range of topics as a community journalist including local government, public safety, immigration and social issues. Natalia previously reported for the Austin American-Statesman, focusing on impacts of government policies on communities of color. Natalia previously worked at the Indianapolis Star, where she helped launch the first Spanish-language newsletter, and at the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. She was born in Tampico, Tamaulipas in Mexico and grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas. She is based in Corpus Christi.
Posted in
Politics
Distrust of voting machines throws a Texas county’s election planning into chaos
There’s no evidence the machines are insecure, but one Kerr County commissioner is pushing to get rid of them. Two elections administrators have already quit over the commotion.
Posted in
Demographics
What’s at stake in the long-awaited trial over Texas’s sweeping 2021 elections law
The GOP-backed Senate Bill 1 added voting restrictions that plaintiffs claim unfairly impacts voters of color.
Posted in
New Texas Laws 2023
Certain Texas counties must increase voting locations despite a lack of buildings and workers
Elections officials say finding new buildings and volunteers will be difficult ahead of the 2024 general election.
Posted in
New Texas Laws 2023
Smaller Texas counties could face a poll worker shortage due to new state requirements
A law that will give voters more time to vote across the state means election offices have to find more workers. That isn’t an easy task in rural Texas.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2023
Harris County’s election chief remains in legal limbo after judge rules that lawmakers can’t dissolve the position
Republican lawmakers targeted the Harris County elections department during this year’s regular session after numerous issues arose out of the 2022 election.
Posted in
2023 Session Recap
Texas begins withdrawal from multistate partnership to clean voter rolls
A new GOP-backed state law requires Texas to create its own version of a cross-check program or find a vendor that doesn’t cost more than $100,000.
Posted in
2023 Session Recap
Texas Republican leaders want to improve elections in the state’s largest county. Their solution could backfire.
Unless a judge intervenes, Harris County is expected to dissolve its elections administration office later this year. The duties of running elections will once again be split between the county’s tax assessor and clerk.
Posted in
2023 Session Recap
Voting by mail in Texas will get a little easier with these legislative fixes
Two bipartisan bills passed this session will give voters more time and opportunities to fix mistakes when they request and return ballots by mail.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2023
Gov. Greg Abbott vetoes bill that would give people with disabilities new option to vote by mail
The bipartisan legislation was long sought by advocates for disabled voters, including some of the governor’s own allies.
