Nancy Worley (November 7, 1951 – December 29, 2021) was an American

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

politician who served as

Secretary of State of Alabama The secretary of state of Alabama is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Alabama. The office actually predates the statehood of Alabama, dating back to the Alabama Territory. From 1819 to 1901, the secretary of state served ...

from 2003 to 2007 and Chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party from 2013 to 2019.

Early life and education

Worley was born in

New Hope, Alabama New Hope is a city in Madison County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,889. History Originally named "Cloud's Town" in 1829 by its founder, ...

on November 7, 1951. She received a B.A. degree from the

University of Montevallo The University of Montevallo is a public university in Montevallo, Alabama. Founded on October 12, 1896, the university is Alabama's only public liberal arts college and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. The University o ...

and an M.A. from Jacksonville State University.Alabama State Archives Biography: Nancy Worley
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Career

Worley served on many commissions across the state of Alabama as an advocate for educators and women. She taught for 25 years in the Decatur School System, and served two terms as the president of the

Alabama Education Association The Alabama Education Association (AEA) is a statewide professional organization that represents public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operate ...

(AEA) from 1983-1984 and 1995-1997. She won various teaching awards including Teacher of the Year; a Teacher Hall of Fame nominee; honored by the Alabama Jaycees as Alabama’s Outstanding Young Educator; and '' Good Housekeeping’s'' "100 Young Women of Promise." She served as Alabama Secretary of State from 2003 to 2007. In the 2006 general election, she was defeated for re-election by then-State Auditor Beth Chapman. Worley's tenure as Secretary of State included substantial reforms, including longer and uniform polling hours, voter identification, and automatic recounts in close races. She was elected in 2013 by the Alabama Democratic Party to be chairwoman of the party in the Republican-dominated state, having previously served as interim Chair since April 2013 and Vice Chair since January 2007. In July 2015, Worley, five other former AEA presidents, and former AEA Associate Executive Secretary

Joe L. Reed Joe Louis Reed Sr. (born 1938) is an American politician, activist and educator. He is the current Vice-Chair of Minority Affairs of the Alabama Democratic Party and, since 1979, chair of the Alabama Democratic Conference (ADC). He also served as p ...

, accused the

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college stud ...

of violating its bylaws and overstepping its role in regards to the AEA.

Legal issues and removal as chair

Worley was indicted by a Montgomery County grand jury in March 2007 on five

misdemeanor A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than ad ...

and one

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that res ...

charge. The charges, resulting from an investigation by Alabama Attorney General Troy King, accused Worley of soliciting support from five of her employees during her unsuccessful re-election campaign in 2006. A few days after the trial started, the presiding judge dropped the felony charge, and indefinitely postponed the trial of related misdemeanor charges. In October 2012, Worley pleaded guilty via a "best interest" plea on one misdemeanor count and agreed to pay a $100 fine. Worley's lawyers revealed a letter, sent by State Treasurer

Kay Ivey Kay Ellen Ivey (born October 15, 1944) is an American politician serving as the 54th and incumbent governor of Alabama since 2017. Originally a conservative Southern Democrat, Ivey became a member of the Republican Party in 2002. She was the 38th ...

to her employees, soliciting campaign contributions for the 2008 presidential campaign of former Massachusetts Governor

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusett ...

. Ivey was the Alabama chairwoman of Romney's campaign. Worley's lawyers pointed out that King had not prosecuted fellow Republican Ivey, as he had Worley. In August 2019, Worley and Randy Kelley, state party's deputy chair, were stripped of their credentials as members of the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well ...

for not complying with DNC demands for revisions to the Alabama Democratic Party's bylaws. On November 2, 2019, Worley was removed as the chair with a unanimous vote.

Death

On December 20, 2021, it was reported that Worley was gravely ill and on life support in a Montgomery hospital. She died on December 29, at the age of 70.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Worley, Nancy 1951 births 2021 deaths 21st-century American women politicians Alabama Democratic Party chairs Alabama Democrats National Education Association people People from Madison County, Alabama Secretaries of State of Alabama Women state constitutional officers of Alabama Educators from Alabama 20th-century American women educators University of Montevallo alumni Jacksonville State University alumni Trade unionists from Alabama 21st-century American politicians 20th-century American educators