Gov. Tom Wolf recently nominated Veronica Degraffenreid, the acting secretary of the Department of State, as secretary of the commonwealth.
“Veronica Degraffenreid is a nationally respected expert in election administration and the perfect person to lead the Department of State,” Wolf said. “Veronica has extensive experience in operating elections from security and poll worker training to voter registration, voting site administration, and modern voting systems. In addition, in her role as acting secretary, Veronica has shown excellent leadership across the department’s responsibilities, including supporting economic development through corporate filings and transactions and protecting public health and safety through professional licensure.”
Degraffenreid is a University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill graduate and served for more than a decade in various roles with the North Carolina Board of Elections before moving to Pennsylvania. She joined the Pennsylvania Department of State in February 2020.
Degraffenreid served as special advisor on election modernization, working with counties to ensure they had support and resources during the 2020 election. She also matched Department of State staff with counties’ election officials to provide information and direct access to the department during the election year.
In addition to election experience, Degraffenreid also has experience working as a special litigation legal assistant.