In the face of their suspicions and threats, Tarrant County Elections Administrator Heider Garcia didn’t fight back. He welcomed them in and listened.
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
Texas 2022 Elections
Voters of color had mail-in ballots rejected at higher rates than white voters in Texas’ March primary
Asian voters were most disproportionately affected by the new ID requirements included in voting restrictions passed by the 2021 Legislature, a Brennan Center for Justice analysis found.
Posted in
Politics
Ruling in fluoride election lawsuit marks latest defeat for prominent Texas vote-fraud activist
Laura Pressley helped allies in Gillespie County challenge the results of a 2019 referendum over fluoride in tap water. A judge did not buy their claims of election irregularities.
Posted in
Courts
In heated exchange, federal judge demands True the Vote identify who provided access to poll worker data
The Texas nonprofit has spread voter fraud conspiracy theories for years. Konnech Inc. accuses the organization of defamation and computer fraud in a lawsuit.
Posted in
State Government
Boisterous agitators disrupt Hays County election machine test, badger Texas secretary of state
“Can we go back to focusing on the testing please?” official pleads as crowd demands answers to conspiracy theories.
Posted in
Courts
Lawsuit alleges Texas’ True the Vote hacked data and targeted small election vendor with racist, defamatory campaign
Case cites election integrity group’s own public claims that it stole data from Michigan company that makes software for managing poll workers.
Posted in
State Government
What brought down one Texas county’s entire elections department? It was something in the water.
Aggrieved anti-fluoride activists, low pay and an understaffed office eventually drove away all of Gillespie County’s election staff.
Posted in
State Government
Tarrant County conservatives push questions about Texas election integrity
After “seeking God’s guidance,” the group has engaged in yearlong campaign chasing evidence, lobbying government, and harassing an election official, with little to show for it.
Posted in
Politics
Right-wing group is quietly conducting review of 300,000 Tarrant County ballots from 2020 primary
The March ballots are public records under Texas law, but the Tarrant review may just be a warmup for endlessly disputed elections.
