TITLE: Honoring Heider Garcia for his service as Tarrant County elections administrator.

SUMMARY: Honoring Heider Garcia for his service as Tarrant County elections administrator.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Heider Garcia is concluding his exemplary tenure as Tarrant County elections administrator on June 23, 2023; and WHEREAS, Widely recognized as a leader in his field, Mr. Garcia was hired by Tarrant County in 2018; he implemented the new Electronic Poll Book platform, advanced the process for purchasing new voting equipment, and successfully advocated for adoption of the Vote Centers model of voting, also known as countywide polling; in 2020, Tarrant County earned an Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties in the category of Information Technology for Modernizing Election Systems; and WHEREAS, Under Mr. Garcia's leadership as administrator, the county also received positive reviews from a state audit of the 2020 voting process, and former Texas Secretary of State John B. Scott praised his performance as a model for all to emulate; Mr. Garcia has demonstrated a great willingness to address the concerns of citizens, answering their questions and welcoming them to tour elections facilities and review records; he serves as vice president of the Texas Association of Elections Administrators; and WHEREAS, Previously, Mr. Garcia was the elections manager for Placer County, California, and he served as election systems manager for the project team that ran the 2010 automated elections in the Philippines, a country of more than 50 million registered voters; he was responsible for customizing the technology, certifying the solution under VVSG standards in the United States, and ensuring total compliance with local legislation; at the end of the project, he responded to the information requests from the nation's legislative oversight committees; and WHEREAS, Born in Pennsylvania, Mr. Garcia earned his bachelor's degree in computer engineering from Simon Bolivar University in his parents' native Venezuela; he began working as a software developer for a company that entered the elections business, and he was placed in charge of voting machine deployment and certification for 12 nationwide election processes; and WHEREAS, Heider Garcia has greatly benefited residents of Tarrant County through his skill, expertise, and steadfast dedication to the efficiency, accuracy, and transparency of the elections process, and his contributions have earned the admiration of citizens and professional colleagues alike, in Tarrant County and beyond; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas Legislature hereby honor Heider Garcia for his outstanding service as Tarrant County elections administrator and extend to him sincere best wishes for continued success in his endeavors; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Mr. Garcia as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Turner Geren Romero, Jr. Collier Bhojani Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 1608 was adopted by the House on May 19, 2023, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House