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. She highlighted 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.
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.
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.
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.
