Texas Secretary of State Announces Resignation

UPDATE: On Dec. 6, Gov. Abbott announced he would appoint Texas Sen. Jane Nelson as the next secretary of state. The Texas Senate will have to confirm her appointment next year.

WASHINGTON, D.C. On Monday, Dec. 5, Texas Secretary of State John Scott (R) announced that he would resign at the end of the year. Scott was appointed to the office by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) in Oct. 2021. He would have faced confirmation by the Texas Senate next year to continue in the post.

Prior to serving as secretary of state, Scott assisted former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. During his tenure, he oversaw implementation of Texas’ voter suppression law, Senate Bill 1, and a baseless audit of the 2020 election. In his resignation announcement, Scott promised to release final findings of the audit before leaving office.