--- title: "Secretaries of State Reaffirms Integrity of Electoral Process" id: "35572" type: "post" slug: "secretaries-of-state-reaffirms-integrity-of-electoral-process" published_at: "2016-10-24T21:53:04+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T17:48:36+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/10/24/secretaries-of-state-reaffirms-integrity-of-electoral-process/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/10/24/secretaries-of-state-reaffirms-integrity-of-electoral-process.md" excerpt: "With Donald Trump repeatedly suggesting that the election may be \"rigged,\" the National Association of Secretaries of State has spoken out, emphasizing that the electoral process has numerous safeguards in place." taxonomy_category: - "Ethics" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "election security" - "electoral process" - "Leadership" - "voting integrity" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Secretaries of State Reaffirms Integrity of Electoral Process In the face of unprecedented criticism from one of the two main candidates, who asserts that voting integrity is lacking in the 2016 presidential election, one association is trying its best to reassure the public before November 8. Last week, the nonpartisan National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), which represents elected secretaries of state and the offices they operate, released a statement defending their members’ ability to protect votes—something that has been called into question by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. “Remember folks, it’s a rigged system,” Trump said on Friday, [according to Reuters (opens in a new tab)](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-idUSKCN12L1UI) . “That’s why you’ve got to get out and vote, you’ve got to watch. Because this system is totally rigged.” Additionally, U.S. law enforcement and intelligence officials have raised concerns that hacks, such as those recently uncovered by Wikileaks, [could lead the Russian government to release falsified documents (opens in a new tab)](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-cyber-idUSKCN12L011) that suggest widespread voter fraud. That, officials said, would be more likely than attempts to hack the voting system, which doesn’t rely on modern technology. NASS says claims of voter fraud are “unsubstantiated,” and its members have numerous safeguards in place to prevent such actions. “With concerns about ‘rigging’ and ‘hacking’ elections permeating media coverage of the presidential campaigns, state election chiefs want to assure Americans that our process is fairly administered and well-secured, with built-in structural safeguards to ensure honest outcomes and accurate results,” [the association said in a news release (opens in a new tab)](http://www.nass.org/news-releases-and-statements/release-nass-statement-election-integrity-oct16/) . Individual secretaries of state [also spoke out (opens in a new tab)](http://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/Election-Officials-Respond-to-Trumps-Accusations-of-Rigged-Elections-Large-Scale-Voter-Fraud-397637891.html) regarding the integrity of the polling systems in their states. In Maryland, [the state released documents (opens in a new tab)](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3146005-Maryland-Voter-Registration-Security.html) explaining the security features of its voting system. Meanwhile, West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant pointed to her state’s infrastructure of electoral workers. “I believe in the county clerks, and I believe in our poll workers,” [Tennant told the Charleston Gazette-Mail (opens in a new tab)](http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-election/20161018/tennant-national-sos-group-say-elections-arent-rigged) . “If someone questions the process, why don’t they sign up to be a poll worker?” NASS, whose members will be keeping an eye on 9,000 polling stations nationwide, emphasized that it treated issues of voting irregularity seriously, and that election officials could provide a resource to voters who have concerns about the process. The group also [pointed out the list of current laws (opens in a new tab)](http://www.nass.org/component/docman/?task=doc_download&gid=1349&Itemid=) [PDF] that help to define the activity of poll watchers. “The nation’s Secretaries of State have an ethical mandate and a conscientious duty to deliver a voting process that is not only fair and secure, but also accurate and accessible,” NASS added. “Voters must have no doubt that their votes—and votes alone—will determine the next President of the United States this November.” Donald Trump, who has raised concerns about the voting process. (Michael Candelori/Flickr) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#election security](https://associationsnow.com/tag/election-security/) [#electoral process](https://associationsnow.com/tag/electoral-process/) [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/) [#voting integrity](https://associationsnow.com/tag/voting-integrity/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [TemplateMembers onlyMember Onboarding ToolkitNovember 5, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/05/member-onboarding-toolkit/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [PodcastSecuring Identity: What Associations Need to Know About Verifiable CredentialsJune 25, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/06/25/securing-identity-what-associations-need-to-know-about-verifiable-credentials/) - [VideoThe Career Moves Every Association Leader Needs Right NowSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/the-career-moves-every-association-leader-needs-right-now/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2016%2F10%2F24%2Fsecretaries-of-state-reaffirms-integrity-of-electoral-process%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !