Credit: Deliver My Vote
Starting in the new year, Pennsylvania will have a new acting secretary of state.
Gov. Tom Wolf’s office announced Monday that Leigh M. Chapman will take the role of acting secretary. She will hold the job currently filled by Veronica Degraffenreid, who is being promoted to a special advisor to the governor.
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The Pennsylvania Department of State oversees licensing of professionals, corporate registrations, records on nonprofits, sanctions of sporting events, and the election process.
The department’s role overseeing elections has been in the spotlight over the past few years. The state’s counties have changed voting machines, the legislature approved no excuse mail-in voting in 2019, there were controversial election changes due to the pandemic, and former President Donald Trump and some of his allies have spread misinformation about the election process and outcome.
Degraffenreid replaced Kathy Bookvar, a Bucks County resident and former Democratic congressional candidate, as secretary earlier this year after her department failed to properly advertise a constitutional amendment allowing victims of childhood sexual abuse to sue those who covered up the crimes.
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“As we move into a new year and new election cycle, I have full confidence that Leigh M. Chapman will continue the Department’s efforts to lead Pennsylvania through a smooth election process and ensure that Pennsylvania voters continue to experience free and fair elections, among many responsibilities,” Wolf said in a statement.
Chapman previously served as a policy director at the Pennsylvania Department of State. She presently works as executive director of Deliver My Vote, a non-partisan, non-profit organization focused on research and education about voting by mail.
“I am honored and excited to be returning to the Department of State to serve as acting secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Chapman said in a statement. “Throughout my career I have worked to ensure that voting rights are protected, and to improve access to the ballot box. I look forward to continuing that work in my new role, and to build on the tremendously successful election reforms in Pennsylvania over the last several years.”
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Chapman will start her new job on Saturday, January 8.
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