For Immediate Release
July 25, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC - Nearly 30 Secretaries of State and Lieutenant Governors gathered in Anchorage, Alaska on July 18-21 for the 96th annual summer meeting of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS).  The four-day event focused on policy issues and programs of mutual interest to state members, as well as the selection of national officers for the 2013-2014 cycle. 

Highlights from the meeting include welcoming remarks by Alaska Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell, as well as the following:

Policy Resolutions: 

• NASS Resolution for the Adoption of National Apostille Issuance Guidelines
  
  
• NASS Resolution of Recommendation to the International Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for Issuance of Corporate Internet Extensions
  
  
• NASS Resolution on Full Funding of the Help America Vote Act of 2002
  
  
• NASS Resolution Establishing September 24th, 2013 as National Voter Registration Day
  
  
• NASS Resolution in Support of Efforts to Preserve American Historical Records
  
  
• NASS Resolution Urging the National Political Parties to Set Earlier Nominating Convention Dates
  
  
• NASS Resolution In Support of Taiwan's Participation as an Observer in the International Civil Aviation Organization

National Officers:  Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett was inducted as NASS President for the 2013-2014 cycle, along with the association's new slate of executive officers for the coming year:

President-elect:  Hon. Kate Brown, Oregon
Immediate Past President:  Hon. Ross Miller, Nevada
Treasurer:  Hon. Jason Gant, South Dakota
Secretary:  Hon. Tom Schedler, Louisiana
Eastern Region Vice-President:  Hon. Jim Condos, Vermont
Southern Region Vice-President:  Hon. Natalie Tennant, West Virginia
Midwestern Region Vice-President: Hon. Connie Lawson, Indiana
Western Region Vice-President: Hon. Kim Wyman, Washington
Member-at-Large (ACR Section):  Hon. Matt Dunlap, Maine
Member-at-Large (NPA Section): Hon. Mark Martin, Arkansas

The national officers were elected by full member vote on July 21, 2013. They will serve a one-year term ending in July 2014.

More here

State Shared Practices:  This year's shared practices sessions focused on leadership and innovations from the states. A joint session with the Presidential Commission on Election Administration and the National Association of State Election Directors featured successful practices in state election administration, followed by the issuance of a NASS paper entitled, "Priority Issues for Secretaries of State:  Summary of NASS Election Administration Roundtable." In a separate meeting, Secretary of State offices in Florida and Minnesota highlighted voter participation efforts in their respective states.

Secretary of State offices in Delaware, Nevada and Wyoming also teamed up to present a shared practices paper entitled, "Encouraging Business While Fighting Fraud: States Focus on Changes Made and Changes to Consider." 

To see full conference agenda, click here.

Workshops/Speakers:  Conference speakers represented a diverse array of public and private sector entities, including: Alaska Humanities Forum, Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, National Association of State Chief Information Officers, NIC, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office and the U.S. Coast Guard Seventeenth District.    

Conference presentations are available to NASS members in the DC Connection section of the NASS website:  www.nass.org. 

2013 NASS IDEAS Award:  The Office of the Louisiana Secretary of State was honored with the second annual NASS IDEAS Award for its "GeauxVote Mobile" program, launched in 2011. The award seeks to recognize innovation, dedication, excellence and achievement in service in state member programming, as well as significant contributions to the mission of NASS.  

Member offices from Oregon and West Virginia were also honored and recognized as national finalists for this honor.

More here

Corporate Affiliate White Papers:  Each year, NASS corporate affiliate members are asked to submit white papers that showcase their valuable expertise to members. 

The following submissions were received:

• Electronic Poll Books  (Datacard Group)
• Preparing for Disasters (HP Enterprise Services)
• Douglas County Vote By Mail (Runbeck)

Conference Sponsors:  DOT Registry, LLC | Alaska Aerospace Corporation | Alaska Cruise Association | AT&T | Safari Club International | Shell Oil Company | Statoil | BP Exploration Alaska | Deadhorse Aviation Center | Pebble Partnership | SOE Software |Wells Fargo Bank | Alaska USA Federal Credit Union | Alyeska Pipeline | Coeur Alaska, Inc. | ConocoPhillips | Denali Alaskan Federal Credit Union | ExxonMobil | Fred Meyer | HDR, Inc. | NANA Corporation |Udelhoven Oilfield System Services | Usibelli Coal Mine | Usibelli Foundation  | Alaska Surgery Center  

Download the NEW NASS conference mobile app online at http://cdn.wv.gov/nass/.

Get updates and join the conversation. Follow NASS on Twitter: @NASSorg.  Conference hashtag: #NASScon. 

View conference photos on the NASS Facebook page by clicking here.

About NASS

Founded in 1904, the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) is the oldest nonpartisan, professional association of public officials in the United States.  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, as well as several well-established awards programs. 

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Media Contact

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