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Secretary of State
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The duties of the position are generally administrative in nature, and no two states have identical responsibilities delegated to the secretary of state. Many are tasked with keeping state records, from registering businesses to recording the official acts of the Governor. The officeholder also often serves as the chief election official in their state, administering state elections and maintaining official election results. The commissioning and regulation of notaries public, keeping of the official state seal, and certification of official documents all typically fall under the purview of the secretary of state.
Political parties
The chart below is a breakdown of the political parties pertaining to the state executive office of secretary of state. For other state executive offices, click here.
| Office |  Democratic
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 Republican
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 Independent
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Nonpartisan | Total seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secretary of State | 15 | 20 | 0 | 12 | 47 |
(Updated Prior to 2011 General elections)
Term limits
- Main article: State executives with term limits and Secretaries of State with term limits
In fifteen states, the office of Secretary of State is subject to term limits. Most states with term limits specify that an office-holder may serve two consecutive terms. Most states do not specify that the two terms are an absolute limit, so that a former Secretary of State may usually run again after a time, usually unspecified, out of office.
States with term limits include:
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Elected or appointed
In 35 states, the position is popularly elected. The remaining 12 offices are filled by appointment: 9 by the Governor and 3 by the state legislature. Of the 35 elected to office, 20 are Republican and 15 are Democrat.
States (9) in which secretaries are appointed by the governor include:
- Delaware • Florida • Maryland • New Jersey • New York • Oklahoma • Pennsylvania • Texas • Virginia
States (3) in which secretaries are appointed by the state legislature include:
2011 elections
- Main article: Secretary of State elections, 2011
Three states, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi, have scheduled secretary of state elections in the 2011 electoral cycle. Two of the seats that are up for election are held by a Republican while another is held by a Democrat.
2010 elections
- Main article: Secretary of State elections, 2010
Twenty-six secretary of state elections were scheduled for November 2, 2010. Of the 26 seats that were up for election, 15 had been held by a Democrat and 11 by a Republican. In total, Democrats lost 6 seats.
| Partisan breakdown of Secretaries of State | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Before November 2010 election | After November 2010 election | |||||||
| With 2010 elections | Unelected SOS | Total SOS | Post 2010 elections | Unelected SOS | Total SOS | Gain/loss legislators | |||
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15 | 11 | 26 | 9 | 10 | 19 | -7 | ||
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11 | 10 | 21 | 17 | 11 | 28 | +7 | ||
Officeholders
Current Secretaries of State -- Appointed
| State | Secretary of State | Assumed office | Appointed by | Chief Election Official |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | Jeffrey W. Bullock | 2009 | Gov. Jack Markell
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No |
| Florida | Kurt Browning | 2011 | Gov. Rick Scott
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Yes |
| Maine | Charles Summers | 2010 | Maine Legislature | Yes |
| Maryland | John P. McDonough | 2008 | Gov. Martin O'Malley
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No |
| New Hampshire | William Gardner | 1976 | New Hampshire Legislature | Yes |
| New Jersey | Kim Guadagno | 2009 | Gov. Chris Christie
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Yes |
| New York | Cesar Perales | 2011 | Gov. Andrew Cuomo
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No |
| Oklahoma | Glenn Coffee | 2010 | Gov. Mary Fallin
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No |
| Pennsylvania | Carol Aichele | 2011 | Gov. Tom Corbett
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Yes |
| Tennessee | Tre Hargett | 2009 | Tennessee Legislature | No |
| Texas | Hope Andrade | 2008 | Gov. Rick Perry
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Yes |
| Virginia | Janet Polarek | 2010 | Gov. Bob McDonnell
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No |
Current Secretaries of State -- Elected
See also
- State executive offices
- State executive official elections
- National Association of Secretaries of State
- Secretaries of State with term limits
External links
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