What you need to know
The Dallas County Elections Commission, a five-member statutorily created board, appointed Garcia to the position, the elections department announced in an Oct. 18 news release.
Garcia will replace Michael Scarpello, who is retiring after working as the Dallas County elections administrator since 2020. Garcia’s start date is Dec. 20.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in the news release that Garcia was chosen because of his “proven track record of running excellent elections in several places.” In addition to Tarrant County, Garcia served as elections manager for California's Placer County from 2016-18.
Notable quote
“I will be very humble in my new role and work really hard to follow in [Scarpello’s] footsteps,” Garcia said in the news release. “Dallas County deserves the best, and I intend to work with that goal in mind.”
Also of note
Garcia served as elections chief for Tarrant County from 2018-23 before resigning June 23. He cited differences with County Judge Tim O’Hare relating to an investigation into alleged election fraud.
“My formula to administer a quality transparent election stands on respect and zero politics; compromising on these values is not an option for me,” Garcia said in a letter to O’Hare at the time.
