NASS 2025 Winter Conference Highlights

For Immediate Release
Feb. 5, 2025

Washington, D.C. — The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) held its 2025 Winter Confer­ence Jan. 29 – Feb. 1 in Washington, D.C. 37 Secretaries of State and two Lt. Governors were joined by an audience of over 450 people. Attendees were comprised of senior state government and Congressional staff, as well as nonprofit, private sector representatives and national media. Bipartisan discussions throughout the meeting addressed cybersecurity, election administration, international relations, business services, state records management, civics, communications, and other relevant topics.

Highlights from the conference include the following:

Forum on Human Trafficking – On Jan. 29, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Homeland Securi­ty’s Blue Campaign, NASS held a forum on the issue of human trafficking. During the pre-conference meet­ing, NASS members were able to hear more about the issue overall, learn about resources the Blue Cam­paign provides and interact directly with a lived experience expert. There was also discussion around state Businesses Against Trafficking programs, which are currently operated by Secretaries in Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia, as well as the Office of New Jersey’s Attorney General.

Crisis Communications Workshop – The Jan. 31 workshop focused on crisis communications efforts and lessons learned around the recent 2024 election cycle. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt and Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs each discussed how they successfully worked with their re­spective staff members, local election officials, federal agencies, and the press to message emergency situ­ations such as bomb threats, natural disasters and mail disruptions to the public in a timely, measured way. View C-SPAN coverage of the workshop 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 2024 recipients from across the country was played for conference attendees, which can be found here. Learn more about the award overall on our page.

Margaret Chase Smith Award – Nominated by Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry, the 2024 Mar­garet Chase Smith award for political courage was given posthumously to Mr. Johnnie A. Jones, Sr. recog­nizing his work as a civil rights activist, attorney and public servant. The award was accepted by his daugh­ter-in-law, Dr. Mary Louise Jones. Read the release on the Jan. 30, award ceremony here.

National Groups Showcased – During a lunch, 13 national groups registered to feature their organization, mission, resources, engagement opportunities for Secretaries and more. NASS Members and conference attendees were able to learn more about the organizations’ civics-related work. We appreciate the following groups for joining us for the event: 100% Democracy: An Initiative for Universal Voting, Braver Angels, Brennan Center for Justice, Center for Civic Design, Center for Tech & Civic Life, Electronic Registration Information Center, Fair Elections Center, iCivics/CivXNow, Issue One, More Voter Choice Fund, National Vote at Home Institute, Nonprofit Vote, and Public Citizen. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) also registered for this lunch event to highlight their numerous federal resources and programs geared toward state and local election officials. Please note, NASS does not endorse the registered organi­zations nor their positions or products.

Romanian Reception – The Embassy of Romania hosted NASS Members and Corporate Affiliates for an evening reception at the Army Navy Country Club on Jan. 30. NASS appreciates Ambassador Andrei Mu­raru’s hospitality and the opportunity to learn more about Romania and their culture.

Positions – The following were approved by the membership at the Business Meeting on Feb. 1:
*NASS Resolution Affirming the Conduct of Elections in a Nonpartisan Manner
*NASS Resolution Establishing September as National Voter Registration Month
*Resolution on NASS Support of .GOV Use by SLTT Governments

Corporate Affiliate Issue Papers – Each year, NASS Corporate Affiliates submit issue papers showcasing their expertise: Apollo | BallotDA | Civix | Clear Ballot | CT Corporation | Election Systems & Software | Fos­ter Moore | Hart InterCivic | Incode | MTX Group | Northwest Registered Agent | ReFrame Solutions | Smartmatic | SOE Software | Voatz

Speaker Organizations – Conference speakers represented a diverse array of entities, including Aspen Digital, Better Business Bureau Institute for Marketplace Trust, Center for Internet Security, Council of State Archivists, EAC, FBI, Independent Community Bankers Association, National Archives Foundation, Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors and more. View the full agenda here.

Announcements:

NASS 2025 Summer Conference – The conference will be held in Biloxi, Mississippi, hosted by Mississip­pi Secretary of State Michael Watson, from August 4 – 7, 2025. Future NASS conference details are fea­tured on our event page as they become available.

IDEAS Award Finalists – Four state finalist programs were selected by NASS Members for the Innovation, Dedication, Excellence and Achievement in Service (IDEAS) Award:
*Office of the Connecticut Secretary of the State - Civically Engaged Organizations (CEOs)  
*Office of the Kentucky Secretary of State - Civic Seal Program 
*Office of the Mississippi Secretary of State - SOS Student Ambassador 
*Office of the Rhode Island Department of State - Civic Leadership

The finalists will be invited to showcase their state’s original programming during the NASS 2025 Summer Conference. Members will then vote and the selected state will receive the award in Biloxi.

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