Tarrant County commissioners approved changes to voting precincts in a recent meeting.
Section 42.006 of The Texas Election Code states that precincts “must contain at least 100 but not more than 5,000 registered voters.” The election administration identified 22 boundary changes needed to comply with the code for the 2024 election, per Community Impact.
Precinct 3659 was expected to add 2,106 new voters prior to the 2024 elections, which would put the precinct over the limit when added to the 4,212 registered voters as of February 8. The new precinct will be No.3842.
The current precinct will be divided in half, with Heritage Trace Parkway in northeast Fort Worth serving as the new precinct’s southern border. Flusche Court will serve as the northern boundary, Ray White Road as the eastern boundary, and Beach Street as the western boundary, Community Impact reported.
Both party chairs were amenable to the changes, according to a document detailing the proposal prepared by soon-to-be former Elections Administrator Heider Garcia.
This split, approved unanimously by the commissioner’s court, was one of Garcia’s final actions; the election administrator’s last day is Friday, according to a letter of resignation he sent to Tarrant County Administrator G.K. Maenius and Judge Tim O’Hare in April.
Garcia chose June 23 to allow “sufficient time to complete all work related to the May 6 joint elections, any potential runoff elections in June and a smooth handover of the operation,” according to his letter.
Clint Ludwig will be taking over as the new Tarrant County Elections Administrator, per the Fort Worth Business Press. Judge O’Hare released a statement saying that Clint, a former U.S. Marine Corps captain, believes in fair elections and Tarrant County is lucky to have him.
“It is evident that Clint loves his country, freedom and believes that free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our Constitutional Republic,” O’Hare stated, per the FWBP. “While the other finalists all brought their own unique strengths and talents to the table, Tarrant County is fortunate to have Clint at the helm of our elections moving forward.”