Veronica Degraffenreid

Veronica Degraffenreid is an American election official serving as the special advisor on election modernization in the Pennsylvania Department of State. After it was announced that Commonwealth Secretary Kathy Boockvar would resign from her position on February 5, 2021, Degraffenreid was announced as her successor.

She has been cited by news reporters and other researchers as an expert on election modernization and voting technology.

Formative years Born in Bertie County, North Carolina, Degraffenreid earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In February 2020, she began work as a special advisor to the Pennsylvania Department of State. During her first year on the job, she provided guidance to county elections personnel regarding methods of election modernization and to county elections personnel and their respective voters regarding safe voting procedures during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On February 8, 2021, she was appointed as Acting Secretary of State of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf. While still Acting Secretary of State, she was appointed by Wolf as a special advisor in January 2022 and then promoted to deputy chief of staff.

In November 2022, Degraffenreid was hired by the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law as senior manager of strategic partnerships, elections and government. She also currently serves on the Committee for Safe and Secure Elections, and is based in Washington, D.C.

Written works Degraffenreid, Veronica. "Honor, protect Black election officials," in The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 14, 2023.