DES MOINES, IOWA (July 8, 2019) — Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate was unanimously elected President of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) during the organization’s summer conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Additionally, Sec Pate won the prestigious NASS IDEAS Award for his election cybersecurity initiative, “Partnerships Pay Dividends: A Roadmap to Election Cybersecurity”.
Secretary Pate will serve as the NASS President through July 2020. Pate told his bipartisan colleagues that he will make election security his top priority, both as President of NASS and as Iowa’s Secretary of State.
“Our mission for 2020 should be conducting the cleanest, fairest elections possible and ensuring the sanctity of the vote is protected at every level, from the smallest county to the largest state,” Sec Pate said. “We must get this right. It’s important not only that we protect the vote, but that we instill confidence in the American people their vote is secure.”
Outgoing NASS President Jim Condos, the Vermont Secretary of State, praised Sec Pate’s efforts to work together in a bipartisan fashion.
“I have always known Sec Pate to be a consummate public servant who really takes the time to listen,” Sec Condos said. “I’m confident that he will lead NASS with an unflinching dedication to finding common ground with secretaries across the country in order to improve how we all serve the public.”
Pate’s election cybersecurity efforts have focused heavily on outreach to all 99 counties and partnerships with state and federal agencies. The program was awarded the NASS IDEAS (Innovation, Dedication, Excellence, and Achievement in Service) Award through a vote by secretaries of state from across the US.
“Securing elections requires a team effort, and our partnerships with Iowa’s Office of the Chief Information Officer, the Department of Homeland Security, the Iowa National Guard and many others created a model that I believe every state can follow,” Sec Pate said. “I’m very honored to receive this award. I’d like to thank my team and the numerous agencies that work with us on this important initiative.”
The National Association of Secretaries of State was founded in 1904 and is the nation’s oldest, nonpartisan professional organization for public officials.
