NASS 2024 Winter Conference Highlights

For Immediate Release
Feb. 12, 2024

Washington, D.C. — The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) held its 2024 Winter Conference Feb. 7-10 in Washington, D.C. 41 Secretaries of State and Lieutenant Governors were joined by an audience of over 425 people. The audience was comprised of senior state govern­ment and Congressional staff, as well as nonprofit and private sector representatives. Bipartisan discussions throughout the meeting addressed cybersecurity, election administration, international relations, business services, state records management, artificial intelligence, federal legislation, federal regulations, and other relevant topics.

Highlights from the conference include the following:

NASS 120th Anniversary – Founded in 1904, 2024 marks NASS’s 120th Anniversary. This is a significant milestone for the association as NASS is the nation's oldest, nonpartisan professional organization for public officials. The occasion was celebrated during a breakfast program at the conference featuring remarks from NASS President Scott Schwab, Kansas Secretary of State, and Leslie Reynolds, NASS’s Executive Director of 24 years. A video commemorating the historic anni­versary was also played for attendees, which can be found here. Learn more about the associa­tion’s history in our Pillars of Public Service: A History of NASS publication.

Artificial Intelligence Workshop – Sponsored by Aspen Digital, the workshop featured presenta­tions from a panel of artificial intelligence subject matter experts from the Aspen Institute and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). It also showcased interactive demon­stration stations from Google, Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI that provided an opportunity for at­tendees to interact with some of the most used applications of AI, including generative AI.

TECRO Reception – The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) hosted NASS Members and Corporate Affiliates for an evening reception at their Twin Oaks Estate on Feb. 9. This reception follows a NASS Member delegation in September 2023 to Taiwan arranged by TECRO. NASS appreciates TECRO’s hospitality and the opportunities to learn more about Tai­wan’s culture and trade opportunities.

Margaret Chase Smith Award - Nominated by New Jersey Lt. Governor Tahesha Way, the 2023 Margaret Chase Smith Award for political courage was given posthumously to Laura Wooten rec­ognizing her service as America’s longest-serving poll worker. The award was accepted by her daughter Yvonne Hill. Read the release on the Feb. 8, award ceremony here.

John Lewis Youth Leadership Award - The John Lewis Youth Leadership Award is a way for NASS members to recognize gifted, civic-minded young people in their states each year. A video recognizing the 2023 recipients from across the country was played for conference attendees, which can be found here. Learn more about the award overall on our page.

National Civic Groups Showcased - During the Feb. 9 lunch, 13 national groups registered to feature their organization, mission, resources, engagement opportunities for Secretaries and more. NASS Members and their senior staff were able to stop by and learn more about the organizations’ civic-related work. We appreciate the following groups for joining us for the event: 100% Democra­cy: An Initiative for Universal Voting, CISA, Center for Civic Design, Center for Tech and Civic Life, Co-ops Vote, Committee for Safe and Secure Elections, Fair Elections Center, Generation Citizen, ideas42, National Voter Registration Day, Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center, Vote Early Day, and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). Please note, NASS does not endorse the registered organizations, nor their positions or products.

Position - The following was approved at the Business Meeting on Feb. 10: NASS Resolution on Principles for Federal Assistance in Funding of Elections

Corporate Affiliate Issue Papers - Each year, NASS Corporate Affiliates submit issue papers showcasing their expertise: BallotDA | Civix | Clear Ballot | CT Corporation | DocuSign | Election Systems & Software | Foster Moore | Hart InterCivic | Kopis | Northwest Registered Agent | Re­mark Innovations | Smartmatic | Tyler Technologies

Speaker Organizations - Conference speakers represented a diverse array of entities, including the American Council for the Blind, CISA, Council of State Archivists, EAC, FBI, National Archives and Records Administration, National Disability Rights Network, Service Corps of Retired Execu­tives (SCORE), U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. State Department, U.S. Treasury and many more.

Announcements - The NASS 2024 Summer Conference will be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico from July 9-12. Future NASS conference dates and details as they become available are featured on our event page.

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