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The Commonwealth of Virginia has earned the National Association of State Chief Administrators (NASCA) 2021 Innovations in State Government award for customer service and experience. The award recognizes the Commonwealth’s launch of innovative, digital customer service portals for Virginians seeking government services through the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth. 

The offices of the Secretary of the Commonwealth and Secretary of Administration, as well as the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA), collaborated to create the portals, which collect requests ranging from restoration of civil rights to board appointments, and have streamlined hundreds of thousands of process requests for residents of the Commonwealth.  

“Serving every Virginian equitably and efficiently is a top priority for this administration,” said Governor Northam. “This portal provides direct, real-time access to Virginia's many services, including the life-changing restoration of rights process. Each person who contributed to the project’s success should be proud of the incredible impact they have had on the Commonwealth.” 

The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s new portals receive approximately 10,000 visits a month, and since digitization, hundreds of thousands of digital constituent requests have been processed. Over 50,000 notary applications are now processed each year by notary staff using the online system, and more than 100,000 petitioners have had their rights restored in the Commonwealth.   

“We are honored to partner with the Secretary of Administration and VITA on this project, which fills a critical need in the Commonwealth,” said Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia Kelly Thomasson. “We strive to have a state government that is open and welcoming to everyone. Our wide range of online portals help make government services more accessible, efficient, and user friendly for all Virginians." 

“These portals exemplify how technology can propel and expand government services at the speed of Virginia business,” said Virginia’s Secretary of Administration Grindly Johnson. “We’re honored to be recognized by our national peers for innovative work and enhanced customer service.”  

“Over the past few years, we’ve made it a priority to digitally transform a number of paper-based systems into online, automated services to benefit the millions of residents who live here,” said Chief Information Officer of the Commonwealth of Virginia Nelson Moe. “I’m very proud that VITA could be a key part of this collaborative team.” 

NASCA’s Innovation in State Government Awards highlight best practices in state government operations and leadership. Learn more from NASCA’s national award announcement.