AUSTIN – Secretary of State Jane Nelson will resign July 17 after overseeing the state’s primary and runoff season.
Nelson, 74, did not provide a reason Tuesday for leaving. A former Republican state senator from North Texas, she served as the state’s top elections official for over three years.
“It has been my goal to ensure that voting in Texas is secure, accessible and fair,” she said in a news release. “We have worked extensively to ensure accurate voter rolls and to educate voters about what they need to know to vote with confidence.”
Gov. Greg Abbott, who appointed Nelson, saluted her “long and loyal service.”
“She has represented our state with grace and honor across the globe, and Texas is better because of it,” the governor said.
Abbott will now appoint a successor who will oversee the November midterm elections.
The secretary of state administers elections, manages business filings. Nelson also acted as the state’s “chief international protocol officer.”
Nelson drew criticism from Democrats in January after providing the federal government with Texas’ voter registration rolls for a review of potentially ineligible voters, a move opponents said invited federal overreach.
During her tenure, the agency renovated its headquarters, revamped its website and digitized millions of records.
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