Texas Secretary of State John Scott has announced his intention to resign at the end of the year after being appointed to the position in 2021.
Scott, the state’s top election official, sent a letter of resignation Monday to Gov. Greg Abbott, informing him that his last day will be December 31. Scott’s announcement comes just a month before the start of the legislative session when the Texas Senate would have considered his confirmation in the position.
“When I took office as Texas Secretary of State in October of last year, I did so with a singular goal and mission in mind: to help restore Texas voters’ confidence in the security of our state’s elections,” Scott wrote.
“By listening directly to the concerns of local election officials, voters, and grassroots activists from across the political spectrum, I was able to understand how to better educate Texas voters about their most sacred civic duty,” he continued. “I also gained a deep appreciation for the difficult, meticulous, and often thankless work of local election officials in safeguarding the integrity of the ballot box.”
During his time as secretary of state, Scott oversaw four statewide elections, noting that he “gained a deep appreciation for the difficult, meticulous, and often thankless work of local election officials in safeguarding the integrity of the ballot box.”
Scott previously worked under Abbott as a lawyer during the governor’s time as attorney general. Some considered his appointment controversial because he had shortly represented Donald Trump in a Pennsylvania lawsuit relating to the 2020 election.
Texas is one of a dozen states where the governor appoints the secretary of state. The Texas Senate must then confirm the governor’s choice.
Scott was appointed to his position in 2021 after the legislative session had concluded and never underwent the normal confirmation process via the Texas Senate. Texas has not had a secretary of state confirmed by the State Legislature for five years.
The primary function of the office of the secretary of state is to oversee elections, but also to keep state records and business filings. Furthermore, Scott functioned as the state’s “chief international protocol officer,” negotiating with the four Mexican states that border Texas when Abbott ordered a more intensive inspection process for commercial trucks.
“I had the distinct privilege of visiting with representatives from more than 60 nations to strengthen our diplomatic and commercial relationships with Texas’ international partners and bring even more foreign direct investment to the Lone Star State,” Scott wrote in his resignation letter.
Abbott has not yet named a successor to Scott.