Pima County Department of Elections announced the new Elections Director last week.
Who is Constance Tyler/Hargrove?
“Experienced manager with a demonstrated history of working in the government administration industry. Skilled in Government, Public Policy, Administration, Teaching and Preaching. Strong professional with a master’s degree focused in Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling from Capella University.” (LinkedIn)
With master’s degrees in Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling and Divinity and a Bachelor of Science degree in Urban Studies/Affairs, Constance Tyler/Hargrove will lead Pima County through an election systems and technology cutover to ePoll books and Voting Centers.
What has she done?
Her previous experiences have been in significantly smaller communities and elections departments than her new assignment in Pima County.
| Pima County, AZ | Chesterfield Co, VA | City of Richmond, VA | |
| Population | 1,043,000 | 360,000 | 226,622 |
| Registered Voters | 626,502 | 250,000 | 140,000 |
| Geography | 9,189 sq miles | 437 sq miles | 62.57 sq miles |
| County Employees | 7,500 | 1,900 | 4,000 |
| Salary | $147,000 | (2019) $92,607 | (2017) $68,666 |
Prior to her arrival in Tucson, Constance Hargrove worked as the General Registrar and Director of Elections for Chesterfield County, Virginia. After the retirement of Larry Haake and the tragic death of his successor, Hargrove was appointed to this position by the democrat-run Electoral Board. Chesterfield County had implemented ePoll books in May of 2009 prior to Ms. Hargrove’s arrival in August 2013.
Ms. Tyler/Hargrove worked for the City of Richmond from 1995 to December 2011. The February 28, 2022, Memorandum Re: Hiring of New Election Director from Jan Lesher, Acting County Administrator, states:
“While working for Richmond, she spearheaded the implementation of electronic pollbooks in 2011, and she successfully implemented satellite early voting locations in Chesterfield County for the 2020 election to reduce wait times and exposure risks during the pandemic.”
Hargrove’s resume indicates that she left the City of Richmond in December 2011 shortly after the implementation of electronic pollbooks. Reviews of the 2020 Chesterfield County election indicate that the county was the last county (there are 95 counties in Virginia) to report the results on election night in 2020. There were 81 polling places and they had not ordered enough ballots for the election.
The 2018 election in Chesterfield County saw long lines and voters being given the wrong ballots according to CBS 6 News in Richmond, VA. Voters had to park as far as a quarter of a mile away from their polling place. Constance Tyler (Hargrove) said the problems were caused by a “perfect storm” of rain showers and an influx of voters. “There was a huge turnout that some of the polling places just couldn’t accommodate it,” Tyler explained. She also warned voters who arrived at 6 a.m. to expect a short wait and be patient even though polls are scheduled to OPEN at 6 a.m.
The Virginia Mercury reported “Election officials refused to let voters in despite a judge’s injunction”. Reports of delayed openings and not enough pollbooks caused extremely long lines. The article pointed out LATE OPENINGS, LONG LINES, LIMITED EQUIPMENT. Chesterfield County has approximately 250,000 registered voters; Pima County has 626,502 registered voters.
How we can help
Elections Director Hargrove can be sure that the Republican Party will work to ensure that we have the maximum number of poll workers and observers to assist the Elections Department in the August primary and the November general election. We recognize that her area of responsibility in Pima County is three times more than any of her previous experience. The drastic changes in technology and service delivery systems have changed since she was a team member in the implementation of ePoll books more than 10 years ago in the City of Richmond. There are 3 months until the early ballots drop; we will be sure to get all our voters to the poll.
If you haven’t signed up to be a poll worker or poll observer, please do so. We are going to need you.