WASHINGTON, DC – From presidential preference primary elections to new state voting laws, the nation's Secretaries of State will focus on 2012 election preparations and top election administration issues during the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) 2012 Winter Conference on January 28 - January 31 at the Mayflower Renaissance Hotel in Washington, DC. The association will also release a new white paper with guidelines and recommendations for state policymakers who are dealing with the growing problem of business identity theft related to public business records. In addition to these issues, the 38 Secretaries of State and Lieutenant Governors attending this year's winter meeting will exchange information and programming ideas on business services, state archives and museums, securities, international relations, social media and other issues of common interest.

Event Highlights Include:

Saturday, January 28, 2012
10:40 AM - 11:00 AM
NASS will receive the 2011 Council of State Archivists (CoSA) Kathleen D. Roe Advocacy for Archives Award to recognize Secretaries of State for their work in supporting the archival functions of government, particularly those in the 17 states in which the archives is overseen by the Secretary of State.

Saturday, January 28, 2012
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
NASS will present the 2011 Margaret Chase Smith American Democracy Award to Dr. Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State.
NOTE: This event is closed to press.

Sunday, January 29, 2012
11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
NASS welcomes Ann Burke, co-founder of Liz Claiborne, Inc.'s "Love is Not Abuse" campaign to address the problem of teen dating abuse to discuss how Secretaries of State who administer state Safe at Home/Address Confidentiality registries can help with outreach to save lives and break the cycle of domestic violence in the U.S.

Sunday, January 29, 2012
12:30 PM - 1:45 PM
Harvard Institute of Politics Director Trey Grayson, former Kentucky Secretary of State and 2009-2010 NASS President, will discuss Harvard's recent polling results on the political and public policy views of so-called "millennial" voters.

Sunday, January 29, 2012
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
The NASS Business Identity Theft Task Force will release a new white paper on business identity theft designed to help state officials with strategies on prevention, detection and victim assistance.

Monday, January 30, 2012
9:45 AM - 5:00 PM
NASS members will discuss the 2012 presidential nominating calendar and 2012 election preparations with representatives from the U.S. Congress, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Postal Service, Federal Voting Assistance Program, Democratic National Committee, Republican National Committee and the National Conference of State Legislatures, among others.

Who: National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS)

What: NASS 2012 Winter Conference

When: Saturday, January 28, 2012 - Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Where: Mayflower Renaissance Hotel (1127 Connecticut Ave., NW) Washington, DC

To Confirm Attendance:  To confirm media attendance, please contact Kay Stimson at 202-624-3528, or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Onsite registration provided. Members of the media must present valid, employer-issued credentials for admittance.

Full Conference Agenda: http://www.nass.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=1252

Twitter Updates: @nassinfo

Conference Hashtag: #NASSCON

Conference News Web Page: http://www.nass.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84&Itemid=434

NASS 2011-2012 Executive Board Members:
NASS President: Hon. Beth Chapman, Alabama
President-Elect: Hon. Ross Miller, Nevada
Treasurer: Hon. Tre Hargett, Tennessee
Secretary: Hon. Linda McCulloch, Montana
Past President: Hon. Mark Ritchie, Minnesota
Eastern Region Vice President: Hon. Denise Merrill, Connecticut
Southern Region Vice President: Hon. Brian Kemp, Georgia
Midwestern Region Vice President: Hon. John Gale, Nebraska
Western Region Vice President: Hon. Ken Bennett, Arizona
Member at Large (NPA Liaison): Hon. Mark Hammond, South Carolina
Member at Large (ACR Liaison): Hon. Kate Brown, Oregon

NASS 2011-2012 Committee Co-Chairs:

NASS Awards & Publications Committee: Hon. Cynthia Brock-Smith, District of Columbia & Hon. Al Jaeger, North Dakota
NASS Elections Committee: Hon. Jon Husted, Ohio & Hon. Natalie Tennant, West Virginia
NASS Elections Subcommittee on Presidential Primaries: Hon. Brian Kemp, Georgia & Hon. Ross Miller, Nevada
NASS Task Force on Future Disposition of EAC Duties: Hon. Sam Reed, Washington (Chair)
NASS Voter Participation Committee: Hon. Matt Schultz, Iowa & Hon. Mark Ritchie, Minnesota
NASS International Relations Committee: Hon. Mark Martin, Arkansas & Hon. Kenneth McClintock, Puerto Rico
NASS Business Services Committee: Hon. A. Ralph Mollis, Rhode Island & Hon. Jason Gant, South Dakota
NASS Business Identity Theft Task Force: Hon. Scott Gessler, Colorado & Hon. Elaine Marshall, North Carolina
NASS Company Formation Task Force: Hon. Jeffrey Bullock, Delaware & Hon. Glenn Coffee, Oklahoma
NASS State Heritage Committee: Hon. Tom Schedler, Louisiana & Hon. Jim Condos, Vermont
NASS Securities Committee: Hon. Delbert Hosemann, Mississippi & Hon. Robin Carnahan, Missouri

###

For more information on the National Association of Secretaries of State and its members, click here.