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AUSTIN — As her tenure as the 115th Texas Secretary of State comes to a close, Secretary Jane Nelson reflected on three and a half years leading one of the state's most diverse agencies, highlighting a record of modernizing government, strengthening election administration, improving customer service, and supporting the continued growth of the Texas economy.

"This office touches nearly every Texan in some way, whether they are starting a business, casting a ballot, filing official records, or welcoming visitors from around the world,” said Secretary Nelson. “I am proud of what our team accomplished together to build a stronger, more modern agency focused on serving the people of Texas."

Appointed by Governor Greg Abbott in January 2023 following three decades of service in the Texas Senate, Secretary Nelson received unanimous confirmation and led the agency during a critical time of growth and change.

Moving at the Speed of Business

Her administration eliminated backlogs of business filings, allowing entrepreneurs to move more quickly from filing paperwork to opening their businesses.

Further improving the turnaround for urgent filings, Secretary Nelson ushered in Texas Express, providing same-day and next-day business filing services that help Texas move at the speed of business.

As of November 2025, the agency had filings for 3 million active businesses—an all-time high for the state.

Strengthening Election Administration

During her tenure, the agency successfully carried out its responsibilities for seven statewide elections—including a record-breaking primary this year.

As Texas' Chief Election Officer, Secretary Nelson emphasized election integrity through preparation, accountability, and partnership with county election officials.

Her administration strengthened the Election Audit program, expanded training opportunities for county election officials, updated the statewide election administration and candidate management system, and distributed millions of dollars in election security grants to counties across the state.

Texas led the way in maintaining clean and accurate voting rolls as one of the first states to utilize the SAVE database to prevent non-citizen registration and voting. The office continues to work with counties to keep voter rolls current, including investigations of registrations that use commercial addresses for residency.

The Secretary of State's Office executed two comprehensive voter education campaigns that reached every one of Texas' 254 counties, helping Texans understand voter registration, voting procedures, and election deadlines. An update to the popular VoteTexas.gov website helped improve information security and make it easier for Texas voters to find the information they need to cast a ballot.

Secretary Nelson secured legislative funding to provide military and overseas voters with secure and private options for receiving their ballots, ensuring those serving the nation abroad can fully participate in the democratic process.

Modernization and Customer Service

Secretary Nelson emphasized improving the customer experience across every division of the agency. From reducing backlogs to expanding hours of service, to modernizing outdated systems, Secretary Nelson focused on ways to help address the needs of Texans—now and in the future.

Behind the scenes, the agency modernized internal operations and strategically expanded staffing and resources to meet increasing needs as the state continues to thrive and grow.

Working with the Texas Legislature, the agency secured funding for a comprehensive redesign of the Secretary of State website, which will launch later this year to improve accessibility and customer service. The agency also secured funding to renovate the historic James Earl Rudder Office Building, ensuring Texans visiting the office receive services in a modern, welcoming environment.

Promoting Texas Around the World

If Texas were an independent nation, its economy would rank as the eighth largest in the world. As such a large economic force and center for entrepreneurship, the state attracts interest in business development from around the world.

Serving as Texas' Chief Protocol Officer, Secretary Nelson welcomed hundreds of international delegates, diplomats, consular officials, and business leaders to the Lone Star State, showcasing Texas as the nation's premier destination for investment and opportunity.

She also co-led economic development missions to Europe, North American and Asia, strengthening relationships with international partners while encouraging investment that creates jobs and fuels economic growth in Texas.

As chair of the Border Trade Advisory Committee, Secretary Nelson brought together leaders from government and the private sector to strengthen cross-border commerce, encourage long-term planning for Texas' ports of entry, and promote secure, efficient trade.

Reflecting on her service, Secretary Nelson credited the accomplishments of the past three and a half years to the employees of the Secretary of State's Office.

"None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the extraordinary public servants who come to work every day committed to serving Texans," Nelson said. "I am grateful to Governor Abbott for entrusting me with this responsibility, to the Texas Legislature for supporting our efforts to modernize the agency, and to our county election officials, business leaders, consular corps, and countless partners across our state. It has been a privilege to continue to serve the people of Texas."

As Secretary Nelson concludes her service as Secretary of State, she leaves an agency better prepared to meet the needs of a rapidly growing state—one with stronger election administration, improved customer service, modernized operations, and a renewed commitment to serving Texans with excellence.

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