Texas Secretary of State Hope Andrade submitted her letter of resignation Tuesday to Gov. Rick Perry. Her resignation goes into effect Friday, and it will now be up to Perry to appoint someone new to the position.

Alicia Pierce, a spokesperson from Andrade’s office, said Andrade was satisfied with her time in office and was ready to move on.

“Having finished a successful statewide election, her fifth, the secretary believed that it was a good time to make the transition and let someone else have this great office,” Pierce said.

Andrade’s resignation comes after controversy surrounding an effort overseen by her office to remove dead voters from lists of those registered, which resulted in many voters who are still alive getting letters telling them they would be removed from the voter registration list if they did not respond within 30 days.

Andrade was sworn in as Texas’ first Latina Secretary of State on July 23, 2008. She will leave office as the fourth-longest serving Secretary of State in Texas history.
Before serving as Texas Secretary of State, Andrade served as chair of the Texas Transportation Commission.

In the press release, issued Tuesday, Andrade said it has been her honor to serve in the position.

“It has been the highest honor of my professional life to serve as the Secretary of State for the greatest state in our nation,” Andrade said. “I am truly humbled by the trust and confidence Gov. Perry placed in me nearly four and a half years ago and will forever be grateful for the opportunity to represent Texas in this esteemed office.”

Sara Armstrong, a spokesperson in Perry’s office, said Perry has not yet announced his plans for a new appointment, and an “appointment will be made in appropriate time.”

Assistant government professor Jason Casellas said it will be interesting to see who Perry appoints to take her spot, since her becoming Texas’ first Latina Secretary of State was such a high-profile Hispanic appointment.

Perry released a statement about the impact Andrade has had on the state Tuesday.

“As the first Latina Secretary of State, Hope has a permanent place in our state’s history books and her personal commitment to making Texas a place of unlimited opportunity will leave a lasting impression on our state’s future,” Perry said. “Her leadership was fundamental during five successful statewide elections, and we will all be blessed by her work to promote the Texas success story around the country and around the world.”