Tanner Neidhardt, a professor in the School of Criminal Justice and an incumbent running for Hays County district judge, is being accused of violating state law for attempting to influence students to vote for him in the upcoming general election using his Texas State email. 

Tyler Key, an attorney at the Key Law Office, the same firm where Neidhardt’s Democratic challenger Alicia Key works, emailed The Star documents related to Neidhardt’s violation.

In an Oct. 21 email to his students, Neidhardt canceled class and told students they could use the day to vote. 

“I ask for your vote so I may remain judge of our county here,” Neidhardt wrote. “… I hope you have the confidence to vote for me.” 

In the same email, Neidhardt asked students to sign up to promote him at the LBJ Student Center polling location. 

“We’ll give you a Tanner For Texas State T-shirt… As students enter LBJ, you wave a sign and can say, ‘Vote for my professor, Judge Tanner because…,’” Neidhardt wrote. 

Neidhardt’s email comes after an Oct. 7 email from Nelly Herrera, vice chancellor and general counsel of the Texas State University System, reminding faculty and staff the Texas Government Code which states, “a state officer or employee may not use official authority or influence or permit the use of a program administered by the state agency of which the person is an officer or employee to interfere with or affect the result of an election or nomination of a candidate or to achieve any other political purpose.”

“We should not use university property or resources, including its email resources, to attempt to influence elections or legislation,” Herrera wrote in her email to Texas State faculty and staff.

In response to Neidhardt’s violation of state law, Alicia Key’s attorney Chevo Pastrano wrote a letter to Texas State President Kelly Damphousse detailing the situation and requesting several immediate actions. The requests included terminating Neidhardt’s privileges as an adjunct professor, suspending his Texas State University System email accounts and IT access and implementing remedial measures to address the impact of the violation. Pastrano also suggested the university send a mass email to students, faculty and staff, informing them of Neidhardt’s termination and the suspension of his privileges. 

“As each moment passes, as Neidhardt illegally uses Texas State University email resources to email the student body and as each student lines up to cast their vote, our client is harmed,” Pastrano wrote. 

This is a developing story. The University Star will provide updates as they become available.