Hi, y’all! 

Soon after Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson announced she’d be resigning, I started calling election administrators and voting rights advocates. I wanted to get their reaction to the news, and I was also curious about whether they had concerns about Nelson’s departure. 

Nelson didn’t give a reason for her departure, and what kept coming up in conversations with my sources was the timing of her announcement — just months before the November general election. You can read more about that in my story. 

Although the role of secretary of state has little to no rule-making authority when it comes to elections, the person in that position still has a lot of influence. What they say or don’t say matters — especially during a time where voting and election administration continues to be heavily scrutinized and misinformation can quickly catch fire. 

Nelson and her predecessor, John Scott, are known for supporting election administrators and ensuring that communities across the state understand that these officials are the subject-matter experts in each of their counties. Multiple election officials told me that as they head into one of the most important elections Texas has had in years, they hope whoever Gov. Greg Abbott appoints will continue to validate their work and boost voter confidence. 

We’re on the lookout for Abbott’s appointee announcement, so stay tuned. 

One more thing! I have a story coming tomorrow about a law that was initially designed for Harris County following the county election woes in 2022 (remember that?!). As it turns out, the state is implementing that law elsewhere. 

If you’ve got intel on who will be the next secretary of state or any other news tips and thoughts, send them my way at [email protected]. And if you know anyone who might dig this kind of reporting, encourage them to sign up for the newsletter! They can do that here. 

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