Texas Senate confirms Jane Nelson as secretary of state, two months after taking office

The Texas Senate on Wednesday confirmed Jane Nelson's appointment as secretary of state, a position she has held for two months.

Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Nelson to the post in January, after John Scott stepped down in December. The Texas Constitution mandates that the secretary of state, which oversees elections in Texas, must be confirmed by the Senate.

Nelson, no stranger to the upper chamber after serving in it for 30 years, the last four sessions as chair of the Senate Finance Committee, was welcomed back to the Senate floor with bipartisan camaraderie.

With cheers and occasional bursts of laughter, the former senator from Flower Mound hugged and stood for photos with former colleagues after the unanimous confirmation vote.

"To my former Senate colleagues: Thank you for your support and your confidence in me to serve in the vital role of Texas Secretary of State," Nelson said in a statement after her confirmation. "I will work to safeguard honest and accurate elections in all 254 counties across our great state, while continuing to support business owners by ensuring that government moves at the speed of Texas business, not the other way around."

Prior to Nelson's appointment Wednesday, Abbott's last three nominees for the position did not gain the Senate's confirmation. Scott, who had not been confirmed, served in the position for over a year before resigning to return to work in the private sector.

As the state's top elections official, Nelson announced last week her office would be creating an interstate voter registration cross check program for Texas. The move could signal the state's intention to leave a nationwide voter fraud prevention program, the Electronic Registration Information Center.

ERIC, which also monitors voter registration accuracy, has been the target of conspiracy theories after the 2020 presidential election. Last week, officials in Florida, West Virginia and Missouri announced their intentions to leave the program, joining the decision made previously by Louisiana and Alabama.

Along with elections oversight, Nelson's office also plays a major role in business regulations and in handling the state's international affairs and interactions with foreign dignitaries.

Participating in the Senators' walk down memory lane on the Senate floor Wednesday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was pleased to see Nelson confirmed to the post.

"I'm very proud to have you as secretary of state," Patrick said.

Motivating young voters is top priority

During Nelson's initial hearing in front of the Senate Nominations committee in late February, she made clear that increasing a "sad" voter turnout and motivating and encouraging those between 18 to 24 years old to vote is her top priority.

"I think we got to get our young people," Nelson told the committee. "We have to teach them that it's their responsibility to go vote."

However, she refused to comment in the committee hearing on a proposal by Rep. Carrie Isaac, R-Wimberley, that would ban polling locations from being placed on college campuses.

The bill would prohibit county commissioners courts in Texas to "designate as a polling place a location on the campus of an institution of higher education located within the county."

More:Martin Luther King III, civil rights leaders remind SXSW to 'stay engaged' in voting

When asked by Sen. Borris Miles, D-Houston, about her thoughts on the idea, Nelson declined to answer.

"That would be a legislative decision," Nelson said. "And something I learned as a legislator is I didn't want people telling me what to do when I was a legislator."

"The office of the secretary of state is not to get involved in legislation in one way or the other," she continued. "That is not our job, and I would have the head of any staff member that got involved in legislation."

An competing proposal by Democratic Sens. José Menéndez of San Antonio and Nathan Johnson and Royce West, both of Dallas, would require higher education institutions of up to 5,000 students to have at least one polling location, with an additional location added for every 10,000 students.

During the 2022 general election, 8.1 million total voters cast ballots, roughly 46% of those registered to vote. In January, there were roughly 17.4 million registered voters in Texas.

What does the Texas secretary of state do?

• Chief elections officer in Texas.

• Assists county election officials and ensures uniform application and interpretation of election laws throughout Texas.

• Provides a repository for official business and commercial records.

• Publishes government rules and regulations.

• Commissions notaries public.

• Serves as keeper of the state seal.

• Attests to the governor's signature on official documents.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Senate confirms Jane Nelson as secretary of state, two months after taking office