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Kansas Secretary of State
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The current officeholder is Kris Kobach. Kobach (R) defeated Democrat Chris Biggs in the 2010 general election, earning 59% of the vote.[1] Biggs was appointed to the position by Gov. Mark Parkinson in March 2010 following the resignation of 16-year office veteran Republican Ron Thornburgh.
Prior to serving as Kansas Secretary of State, Kobach was a law professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a former Chairman of the Kansas Republican Party (2007-2009).[2]
Authority
The Attorney General's powers are derived from Article 1 of the Kansas Constitution.
Article 1, Section 1:
| The constitutional officers of the executive department shall be the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and attorney general, who shall have such qualifications as are provided by law. |
Qualifications
There are no constitutional or statutory qualifications for this office.[3]
Elections
As with other executive officers, the Secretary of State is elected to serve for a term of four years of length, which runs concurrently with the term of the governor. The election is held in November and the statewide official takes office the following January.
Term limits
There is no term limit for this office. (Kansas Constitution, Article I § 1)
Vacancies
Article 1, Section 11 addresses the legal procedure for filling Vacancies in Executive Offices.
| When the office of secretary of state or attorney general is vacant, the governor shall fill the vacancy by appointment for the remainder of the term. If the secretary of state or attorney general is disabled, the governor shall name a person to assume the powers and duties of the office until the disability is removed. |
Duties
Electoral
The secretary of state is the chief elections officer of the state, administering elections and voter registration throughout the state. The office also files campaign finance reports and registers lobbyists. The duty of regulating lobbying and campaign finance is shared with the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission.
Economic
The secretary operates the business filing center, which registers business entities, trademarks, trade names, and liens made pursuant to the uniform commercial code.
The secretary regulates a wide variety of businesses, including sports agents, trade unions, cemeteries, and funeral homes.
Administrative
The secretary's publications section is responsible for publishing various legal and informational documents for the state. This includes statutory and administrative law publications such as session laws, regulations, and the state's gazette, the Kansas Register.
The secretary also operates "Safe at Home", the state's address confidentiality program and conducts census adjustments.
Compensation
The Secretary of State is guaranteed compensation under Article 1, Section 13 of the Kansas Constitution
In 2011, the Secretary of State earned a salary of $86,003. [4]
Contact Information
Capitol Address:
Kansas Secretary of State
Memorial Hall, 1st Floor
120 SW 10th Avenue
Topeka, KS 66612-1594
Phone: (785) 296-4564
E-mail: sos@kssos.org
See also
- Chris Biggs, former Kansas Secretary of State
- Governor of Kansas
- Lieutenant Governor of Kansas
- Attorney General of Kansas
- Kansas Constitution
External links
- Main website for the Kansas Secretary of State
- Elections website
- Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission
- Wikipedia, Kansas Secretary of State
Portions of this article were adapted from Wikipedia.
References
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State - 2010 General Election Results
- ↑ Project Vote Smart - Kris Kobach biography
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "Kansas Election Standards (Chapter IV: Candidates, p. IV-11)," retrieved January 27, 2012
- ↑ The Council of State Governments, "Book of States 2011- Table 4.11", accessed February 2, 2012
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