AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson announced Tuesday that she will step down from her role as the state’s top elections and business filings official on July 17, ending a tenure that spanned more than three and a half years.
Nelson said serving as Secretary of State has been an honor and highlighted several accomplishments during her time leading the agency.
Recommended Videos
“My time as Secretary came at an important moment for Texas, and I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish as an agency in under four years,” Nelson said in a statement.
Gov. Greg Abbott praised Nelson’s leadership and decades of public service.
“Secretary Jane Nelson has been a true champion for the people of Texas and an extraordinary Secretary of State,” Abbott said. “Texas is better because of it.”
As Texas’ chief elections officer, Nelson oversaw seven statewide elections that collectively saw approximately 27 million ballots cast. During her tenure, the agency distributed millions of dollars in grants to counties aimed at strengthening election integrity efforts and secured funding for a military ballot initiative expected to be implemented ahead of the upcoming General Election.
Nelson said one of her priorities was ensuring Texans could vote with confidence.
“It has been my goal to ensure that voting in Texas is secure, accessible and fair,” she said. “We have worked extensively to ensure accurate voter rolls and to educate voters about what they need to know to vote with confidence.”
Beyond elections, Nelson’s office also oversaw significant growth in Texas business filings. The state surpassed 3 million active business filers during her tenure, a milestone the agency credited to Texas’ strong business climate.
The Secretary of State’s office also launched Texas Express, an expedited filing service that allows businesses to receive same-day and next-day processing for certain filings.
“Texas has no equal when it comes to having the nation’s most hospitable business climate,” Nelson said. “We have worked to ensure that our business filings section moves at the speed of business.”
Nelson was unanimously confirmed by the Texas Senate in March 2023, becoming the first Texas Secretary of State to receive Senate confirmation since 2017.
Before joining the agency, Nelson served for three decades in the Texas Senate, where she became the longest-serving Republican senator in state history and the first woman to chair the Senate Finance Committee.
Her tenure as Secretary of State also included modernization efforts within the agency, including upgrades to business filing systems, digitization of millions of paper records, improvements to the Texas Register, funding for renovations to the James Earl Rudder Building and the launch of a long-awaited overhaul of the agency’s website.
As Texas’ chief protocol officer, Nelson represented the state in more than 200 meetings and engagements with international leaders and participated in six trade missions across Asia, Europe and Canada. She also met with governors and mayors from every Mexican state bordering Texas.
“Representing Texas on the world stage has been a tremendous honor,” Nelson said. “Texas is thriving, and the world is taking notice.”
Abbott has not yet announced who will succeed Nelson as Secretary of State.