Oregon and West Virginia Secretary of State Offices also Recognized as National Finalists

For Immediate Release
July 20, 2013

ANCHORAGE, AK - The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), currently holding its annual summer conference in Anchorage, Alaska, today awarded the 2013 NASS IDEAS Award to the Office of the Louisiana Secretary of State. The national award recognizes innovation, dedication, excellence and achievement in state member programming, as well as significant contributions to the state information-sharing mission of NASS. 

Secretary of State offices in Oregon and West Virginia were also recognized for their national finalist submissions, which were reviewed and voted on by members.

The Office of the Louisiana Secretary of State was selected as the 2013 NASS IDEAS Award recipient for its creation of the "GeauxVote Mobile" application and website. The tools are designed to assist citizens in confirming their voter registration information, finding their polling place, accessing sample ballot information and finding their voting district.  

"'GeaxVote Mobile' exemplifies best practices in state government nationwide by reducing voter apathy and increasing participation," said NASS President Ross Miller of Nevada. "As one of the first states to embrace mobile technology for assisting citizens and increasing voter registration numbers, we are proud to honor Louisiana for leading the way on this issue and being willing to share their great idea with Secretary of State offices throughout the U.S."

The "GeauxVote Mobile" voter information application was developed by the Louisiana Secretary of State's office in partnership with Louisiana-based vendor GCR Inc. and launched in 2011. Deputy Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin told a NASS audience that the effort has helped to increase voter registration figures, reduce long lines at the polls, get voters to the right precinct on Election Day and provide real-time election results.

During today's awards ceremony in Anchorage, NASS Awards Committee Co-Chair Al Jaeger presented the IDEAS Award to Louisiana Deputy Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin and Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler.  

"I want to congratulate my hardworking state staff and thank NASS for this wonderful honor," noted Schedler.  "We are proud to have created this phone app that instantly connects the Secretary of State's office to busy Louisiana voters, eliminating the need to search for an agency website or call a registrar of voters in their parish to get reliable, up-to-date answers to their questions. This technology puts election day information in the palm of every voter's hand and truly encourages participation by simply making it easier to go vote." 

Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown and West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant also received finalist certificates on behalf of their respective states.

The Office of the Oregon Secretary of State was recognized for its vote-by-tablet initiative using iPads and Windows 8 technology for assistive voting. 

The Office of the West Virginia Secretary of State showcased its West Virginia Secretary of State Business and Licensing Online Chat feature for business. 

All NASS IDEAS Award submissions were reviewed and ranked by members according to their history, significance and effects, resulting in three national finalists. The members then voted to select the national honoree.

NASS offered an IDEAS shared practices session at the summer conference in Anchorage on Friday, July 19 that featured all three finalist programs.

For more on NASS and its programs, please visit www.nass.org.

ABOUT NASS:  Founded in 1904, NASS is the oldest, nonpartisan professional organization of public officials in the U.S. Members include the 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa and Puerto Rico. NASS serves as a medium for the exchange of information between states and fosters cooperation in the development of public policy. The association has key initiatives in the areas of elections and voting, state business services and digital archiving, international relations and state securities regulation, as well as several well-established awards programs.   

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