Connie Lawson to resign as secretary of state

Monday, February 15, 2021
Connie Lawson

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson announced Monday that she will step down as Secretary of State.

A Danville resident, Lawson spent 16 years as an Indiana state senator serving the District 24, a role in which she represented the northern half of Putnam County.

Lawson notified Gov. Eric Holcomb and will submit a formal resignation once Holcomb selects her successor and the successor is ready to serve.

“I have dedicated the last 32 years of my life to public service,” Lawson said. “I have served with all of my heart and soul. It has been an honor to serve, but it is time for me to step down.

“Like many Hoosiers, 2020 took a toll on me. I am resigning so I can focus on my health and my family. I will work with Gov. Holcomb to ensure our next secretary of state is up to the task and has the tools and resources to hit the ground running.”

Lawson was first appointed secretary of state on March 16, 2012 by then Gov. Mitch Daniels. She successfully ran for election in 2014 and 2018. She is the longest-serving secretary of state in Indiana history and the 61st Hoosier to serve in the role.

As Indiana’s chief elections officer, she focused on ensuring the integrity and security of the state’s elections. She championed election reforms and led the effort to clean Indiana’s voter rolls. All Indiana counties now have access to cybersecurity tools to protect not only elections, but every county and the entire state from security breaches.

An advocate for increasing Indiana’s financial literacy and protecting Indiana investors, Lawson educated Hoosiers about smart money decisions and fought for stringent penalties for white collar criminals. She directed substantial innovation and leveraged cutting edge technology to improve how businesses interact with government by leading the charge on the state’s business one-stop portal.

INBiz is now a nationally recognized portal that serves as businesses’ single point of contact for registration, filing, reporting and making payments across state agencies.

Prior to serving as secretary of state, Lawson served in the Indiana Senate for 16 years. Respected across the aisle, she quickly earned the admiration of her colleagues and made history in 2006 when she was selected as the first woman to serve as majority floor leader in the Indiana Senate.

Before joining the senate, Lawson served as clerk of the Hendricks County Circuit Court for eight years. During her tenure, she was named elections administrator of the year by the Indiana State Election Board and clerk of the year by the Indiana Clerk’s Association, both in 1993.

In addition to her public work, she and her husband Jack own Lawson & Company, an auctioneer and real estate company.

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  • FINALLY!

    -- Posted by Queen53 on Mon, Feb 15, 2021, at 3:54 PM
  • She will be missed. I appreciate her service to our state.

    -- Posted by beg on Mon, Feb 15, 2021, at 4:51 PM
  • Thank you Connie for your service! I wish you nothing but the best in retirement.

    -- Posted by gustave&zelma on Mon, Feb 15, 2021, at 5:52 PM
  • Totally agree with beg, g&z.

    -- Posted by Prince of Stardust Hills on Mon, Feb 15, 2021, at 7:24 PM
  • Queen53: What's your reason for that comment? At least DPR isn't afraid to give detailed explanations for the politicians he hates.

    -- Posted by Ben Dover on Mon, Feb 15, 2021, at 8:21 PM
  • *

    Secretary Lawson also served on the Trump administration's "Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity."

    The Commission uncovered exactly zero instances of voter-fraud during its existence.

    -- Posted by Bunny1E on Tue, Feb 16, 2021, at 11:32 AM
  • Then she did a good job, eh? Another reason for complimenting her effort.

    Please be careful, though, recording the past President's name. You may end up getting canceled by Liberal Theologists.

    -- Posted by beg on Tue, Feb 16, 2021, at 12:32 PM
  • *

    Bunny - LOL. Can you be a little more disingenuous, please?

    In your haste to cast shade you neglected to mention a few things that give the fuller picture, such as...

    * The Commission on Election Integrity was only in existence for about 7 months, which is hardly anytime for a governmental commission to actually get to the bottom of anything, especially something so vast as voter fraud.

    As a counter, the Warren Commission took 10 months to look into one thing and came to the conclusion that Oswald acted alone. I imagine many of us know how well that is accepted, regardless of what side of the argument you take.

    The 9-11 Commission was convened for almost two years.

    * The Commission on Election Integrity ran into significant roadblocks and denials from state and local governments when trying to get information to analyze.

    It's kind of hard to do your job when you are prevented from doing your job.

    Now, you can do two things: you can mea culpa and try better next time to be a reasonable person in the discussion; or you can double down on your silliness and simply be known as someone we should not take serious.

    If you go with the latter, at least you can take comfort that you will not be alone. While not mentioning the names of certain gadflies, I am sure you will be welcomed into their collective.

    -- Posted by dreadpirateroberts on Tue, Feb 16, 2021, at 1:49 PM
  • DPR,

    This is the 2nd time in a row you have made me lol!

    -- Posted by beg on Tue, Feb 16, 2021, at 5:38 PM
  • *

    "The Commission on Election Integrity ran into significant roadblocks and denials from state and local governments when trying to get information to analyze," because the federal government was overstepping its authority.

    Do principles of federalism and of state and local control get thrown out the window when buying a ticket for the Trump Train?

    -- Posted by Bunny1E on Wed, Feb 17, 2021, at 7:37 AM
  • Bunny also risking being canceled by Leftist Theologists for printing the former Presidents name.

    -- Posted by beg on Wed, Feb 17, 2021, at 10:41 AM
  • *

    Those who jump to conclusions about my political leanings risk having their arguments discarded in a heap along with those of certain gadflies.

    -- Posted by Bunny1E on Wed, Feb 17, 2021, at 11:09 AM
  • Everytime Beg says Leftist Theologists you have to do a shot Apple Pucker.

    -- Posted by BJCP96 on Wed, Feb 17, 2021, at 11:51 AM
  • *

    Silly Rabbit - No one has to jump to conclusions about your political leanings... you telegraph them plainly enough.

    But you might want to re-check my posts as I stated no conclusions as to your political leanings.

    I called you out for throwing shade on a commission, established by President Trump and membered by Connie Lawson, and it's apparent lack of effectiveness.

    Perhaps if you spoke more plainly, with less ambiguity, people might be able to better comprehend just what it is you are trying to say.

    Do you always prefer federalism or just when it fits your narrative?

    B/c I love me some federalism and constitutional government.

    So please tell me more about your ideals of federalism and constitutional government.

    Unless you simply read that somewhere and thought it would make a good argument without really understanding what it means.

    -- Posted by dreadpirateroberts on Wed, Feb 17, 2021, at 12:08 PM
  • I didn't jump to conclusions regarding your political leanings. Need to think differently- was referring to an aspect of liberal theology.

    I will just surmise I did a bad job of communicating for you to take that leap.

    BJCP76- interesting.

    -- Posted by beg on Wed, Feb 17, 2021, at 12:30 PM
  • *

    beg- My remark about jumping to conclusions wasn't directed at you. I apologize for any unintended implication by adjacency.

    That said, someone's jumping down the rabbit hole, and I didn't even consent. I'll throw shade on the commission, and leave it to you to decide whether it's government overreach or something else entirely. Perhaps the lady doth protest too much, because her knickers are in a twist in a quixotic quest to uncover the elusive specter of widespread voter fraud... like Bigfoot and Nessie, the stuff of fables.

    Mea culpa? Youa culpa.

    -- Posted by Bunny1E on Wed, Feb 17, 2021, at 4:32 PM
  • Says DPR, "Perhaps if you spoke more plainly, with less ambiguity, people might be able to better comprehend just what it is you are trying to say."

    Says DPR, "Unless you simply read that somewhere and thought it would make a good argument without really understanding what it means."

    Well said.

    -- Posted by Prince of Stardust Hills on Wed, Feb 17, 2021, at 5:00 PM
  • *

    Silly Rabbit - LOL.

    Thank you for confirming yourself as someone un-serious.

    If you are going to throw shade, then at least have the confidence and decency to stand on your words.

    "Do principles of federalism and of state and local control get thrown out the window when buying a ticket for the Trump Train?" - these are your words, to which I asked for your clarification on your own ideals of federalism and the proper role of government.

    "leave it to you to decide whether it's government overreach or something else entirely" - these are your words also, which seem to be contrary to your prior position without elucidation.

    So now those at the forum can only conclude the propriety of my words:

    "Unless you simply read that somewhere and thought it would make a good argument without really understanding what it means."

    Welcome to the gadfly collective, silly rabbit. At least you won't be lonely in your inanity.

    -- Posted by dreadpirateroberts on Thu, Feb 18, 2021, at 10:22 AM
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