NASS 2019 Winter Conference Highlights

For Immediate Release — Feb. 6, 2019 —

Washington, D.C. — The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) held its Winter Conference Feb. 1-4 in Washington, D.C. at the Fairmont Georgetown. 36 Secretaries of State were joined by an audience of 300 senior state government staff and private sector representa­tives holding bipartisan discussions on a variety of issues including: cybersecurity, election admin­istration, beneficial ownership, business ID theft, federal legislation, and securities.

Highlights from the conference include the following:

Classified Intelligence Briefing— The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) joined together with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and the Federal Bureau of Investiga­tion (FBI) to sponsor a classified briefing for members of NASS, the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED), the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), the Government Coordi­nating Council (GCC) and the Sector Coordinating Council (SCC). The briefing focused on in­creasing awareness of foreign adversary intent and capabilities against the states’ election infra­structure.

Margaret Chase Smith Award— Nominated by Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman, for­mer Washington Governor Dan Evans (1965-1977) and former Washington Secretary of State Ralph Munro (1980-2000), were given the 2018 Margaret Chase Smith award for political courage for their efforts in resettling Vietnamese refugees after the Vietnam War. Read the release here.

IDEAS Award— The following member offices were announced as national finalists for the NASS 2019 IDEAS Award competition, recognizing innovation and excellence in state programming. See all submissions:

*Iowa-“Partnerships Pay Dividends: A Roadmap to Election Cybersecurity”

*North Carolina- Electronic Mortgage Closing: From Aspirational Vision to Commercial Reality

*Rhode Island- Department of State Educator Resources

All finalists will be invited to showcase their programs at the NASS 2019 Summer Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the recipient will be announced and recognized.

Resolution— The following was approved at the Business Meeting on Feb. 4, 2019:

*NASS Resolution on Principles for Federal Assistance in Funding of Elections

Corporate Affiliate White Papers— Each year, NASS corporate affiliates submit white papers showcasing their expertise:

*Akamai:How Securing Recursive DNS Proactively Protects Your Network

*Anomali: The Changing Landscape of U.S. Election Security

*BPro: GIS and the Future of Voter Registration Systems

*Clear Ballot: Recounts in America

*Cyberdefenses: Securing the Election Frontline

*Democracy Live: Vermont Pioneers off-the-shelf Ballot Marking Tablet

*Hart Intercivic: The Changing Face of Warehouse Security

*PCC: Securing Elections Critical Infrastructure

*Voatz: The West Virginia Mobile Voting Pilot

*Wireless Data Systems: The Foundation for Election Security, Recounts, and Audits

Workshops/Speakers— Conference speakers represented a diverse array of public and non-profit entities, including: the Atlantic Council, Center for Internet Security, Democracy Fund, DHS, EAC, Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center, Electronic Privacy Infor­mation Center, National Archives Foundation, National Conference of State Legislatures and many more, which can be found here.

Announcements—

*The 2020 NASS Summer Conference will take place in Reno, Nevada.

*Acting Secretary Kimberly Bassett, of the District of Columbia, has been named Co-Chair of the NASS International Relations Committee.

*Photos of the conference can be found on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

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Media Contact:
Maria (Dill) Benson, Director of Communications
mbenson@sso.org | 202-624-3528 | www.nass.org