NASS and NCSL Joint "Election Huddle" Meeting Highlights

For Immediate Release
Jan. 16, 2025

Washington, D.C. — The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) and the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) held its joint Election Huddle meeting Jan. 9-11 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The session brought together 11 state Chief Election Officials (nine Secretaries of State and two Lt. Governors) and 19 state legislators from across the country to discuss election administration and facilitate collaboration between the groups. Attendees listened to presentations given by attending officials, as well as experts in the field. Topics included voter registration, civic engagement, state and federal policy, and other relevant topics.

"Before I became Secretary of State, I served for ten years in the Minnesota House of Representa­tives. This event represented a collaboration between two organizations that I personally know, trust, and admire. I am proud to say this meeting was not only productive but also built successful relationships for years to come,” said Steve Simon, NASS President and Minnesota Secretary of State.

Highlights from the meeting included the following:

Elections Tour – The meeting began with a trip to Davis County, Utah, to visit the elections office with County Clerk, Brian McKenzie. McKenzie and his staff gave a tour of the elections division and answered questions about election administration in Davis County.

State and Federal Policy – Over the course of the meeting, state Chief Election Officials and leg­islators were given opportunities to hear from their colleagues in other states on their approaches to election administration policies. Iowa Secretary Paul Pate and New Mexico Secretary Maggie Toulouse Oliver led a presentation on voter registration and list maintenance discussing their state’s approaches to these important issues.

NCSL’s Director of Elections, Wendy Underhill, shared 2024 enacted election legislation from each state in attendance including fine tuning of list maintenance processes, artificial intelligence in campaigns, election crimes, training for election workers, and citizenship requirements for voting – all topics predicted to be popular in 2025’s legislative sessions.

NASS’s Executive Director, Leslie Reynolds, and NCSL’s Senior Federal Affairs Counsel, Susan Frederick, then discussed federal election-related legislation recently introduced in the 119th Con­gress.

Sharing Successes – To highlight the work of state Chief Election Officials and legislators, Utah Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson, Connecticut Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas, California Assemblymember Gail Pellerin and Kansas Representative Pat Proctor each discussed their suc­cesses in election policy. Highlights include Utah’s nonpartisan approach to election administra­tion, Connecticut's roll-out of early voting, Assemblymember Pellerin’s previous work as an elec­tion official and Representative Proctor’s work on campaign finance reform.

Expert Input – Charles Stewart III of MIT’s Election Data + Science Lab and Doug Chapin of Fors Marsh provided perspectives from their decades of experience in the field. Stewart’s presentation addressed the changes in voting methods and research on voter confidence. Chapin discussed the Help America Vote Act of 2002 and the continued importance of federal, state and local coop­eration.

Roundtable Discussions – NASS and NCSL staff moderated interactive conversations for state Chief Election Officials and legislators. Attendees were able to ask questions and share their own knowledge on absentee voting, elections funding, electronic ballot return, voting technology, and the various levels of governments’ roles in election administration.

State Chief Election Officials and Legislators Working Together – Many noted communication is key when drafting election administration-related legislation. Together state Chief Election Offi­cials and legislators can and should continue to work together to ensure continued successful elections within their states.

Find photos from the joint meeting on NASS’s Facebook, Instagram and X pages.

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