Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson announced she will step down from her role as the state’s top elections and business filings official, effective July 17. Her departure caps a three-and-a-half-year tenure leading the agency.
In the official statement released, Nelson said that serving the state came at an important moment and noted her pride in the agency’s collective accomplishments.
Governor Greg Abbott praised her leadership, labeling Nelson a “true champion for the people of Texas.” Nelson had a 30-year career in the Texas Senate, where she was the longest-serving Republican in state history and the first woman to chair the Senate Finance Committee.
When the Senate voted 31-0 to confirm her on March 15, 2023, Nelson became the first Texas Secretary of State to secure a full Senate confirmation vote since 2017.
As the state’s chief elections official, Nelson presided over seven statewide elections that saw a cumulative 27 million ballots cast. During her administration, the agency managed the disbursement of millions of dollars in integrity-focused grants to local counties and secured funding for a secure military ballot initiative rolling out for the upcoming General Election.
Nelson said that her primary goal was ensuring that voting across the state remained secure, accessible, and fair through targeted voter education and efforts to maintain accurate voter rolls.
Nelson’s tenure also saw growth in commercial sectors as Texas broke an all-time record with more than 3 million active business filers. To accommodate this growth, the agency processed millions of filings and launched “Texas Express,” a tiered, expedited filing service that gives businesses access to same-day and next-day processing options to ensure state services move at the speed of commerce.
Nelson also utilized her position as chief protocol officer to participate in over 200 international dignitary engagements, complete six global trade missions, and meet with leadership from every Mexican state bordering Texas to bolster the state’s international economic prominence.