Secretary of State Michael Adams to co-chair national panel’s Election Committee

Kentucky’s Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams has been chosen by his peers in the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) to co-chair its Elections Committee, along with Democratic Secretary of State Gregg Amore of Rhode Island, it was announced recently.

The bi-partisan Elections Committee keeps NASS members informed about policies and practices related to election administration at both the state and federal levels.

“I’m honored by this appointment, which shows that state election officials across the political spectrum recognize the caliber of Kentucky’s elections,” Adams said.

Adams will also serve on the U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency’s Elections Infrastructure-Government Coordinating Council (GCC). The GCC brings together state, local, and federal governments to share information and collaborate on best practices to mitigate and counter threats to election infrastructure.

Adams previously served as Secretary of NASS’s Executive Board as well as co-chair of the International Relations and Business Services Committees.

The 48-year-old Adams, who is a Paducah native, is now in his second term as Kentucky Secretary of State, where his duties include serving as the state’s Chief Election Officer.

Inaugurated for his first term in 2020, just before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Adams worked with Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear in using emergency powers to conduct safe and secure elections that became a model for other states. Having expanded voter access while also tightening election integrity, in 2021 Adams presented the state legislature with the most ambitious election reform plan since 1891, which passed both chambers with near-unanimous support.