The lies that permeated after the 2020 election have taken hold in almost every part of Texas, including ultra-red counties that Trump won by fifty points. Gillespie County, which is in the heart of hill country, now faces the daunting challenge of holding an election without an election administrator.
According to the Fredericksburg Standard, the current election administrator Anissa Herrera is leaving her post this week. In the wake of the 2020 election, she said she received a deluge of threats that even prompted her to call the police. In 2020, Donald Trump won Gillespie County with 79 percent of the vote.
Herrera isn’t the only member of the election department to leave. The Standard noted that other members of the election staff experienced so much harassment they felt compelled to hire off duty law enforcement and other security personnel to ensure their safety.
Now, Gillespie County faces the daunting challenge of holding an election without an election administrator. Their County Judge, Mark Stoeher told the Standard that he would be contacting the Secretary of State’s office about guidance for conducting the election.
Around the country, election workers have been harassed and terrorized over the false claims about a stolen election. At the highest levels, Texas has officials that have fomented those lies.
Indicted Attorney General Ken Paxton spoke at the rally before the Insurrection. He also filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court to overturn the results of four swing states.
Even the Secretary of State, John Scott, peddled election lies after 2020. Scott, who was appointed Secretary of State by Greg Abbott last year, was hired by Trump to contest the results of the Pennsylvania election. He would eventually resign from that post.
It’s not just rural or urban counties that have to contend with the consequences of the 2020 election lie. In Tarrant County, some voters received postcards from an organization investigating election fraud earlier this year.
That organization, the Tarrant County Citizens for Election Integrity, has been using the 2020 voter roll (which is now public) to conduct their own audit. On their website, they have a video that claims the Tarrant County Election Administrator had ties to Hugo Chavez, the deceased former President of Venezuela.
Similar audits have popped up around Texas as well from those that believe the 2020 election was stolen. With the midterm election just 85 days away, the specter of the 2020 lie remains, and could impact how multiple counties certify election winners.
Photo: Tony Webster / Wikimedia Commons
A longtime writer and journalist, Jessica was thrilled to join the Texas Signal where she could utilize her unique perspective on politics and culture. As the Features and Opinion Editor, she is responsible for coordinating editorials and segments from diverse authors. She is also the host of the podcast the Tex Mix, as well as the co-host for the weekly SignalCast. Jessica attended Harvard College, is a onetime fitness blogger, and has now transitioned to recreational runner (for which her joints are thankful).
