Mississippi Secretary of State

Mississippi Secretary of State
General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Term limits:	None
Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Mississippi Constitution, Article VI, Section 133
Selection Method:	Elected
Current Officeholder
Name:	Delbert Hosemann
Officeholder Party:	Republican
Assumed office:	January 2008
Compensation:	$90,000
Elections
Next election:	November 2015
Last election:	November 8, 2011
Other Mississippi Executive Offices
Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Executive Director of Environmental Quality • Executive Director of Employment Security • Public Service Commission

The Secretary of State for Mississippi is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The secretary of state is popularly elected every four years, and re-election is not restricted by term limits. The officeholder serves as Chief Elections officer for Mississippi, and is the official "keeper of the Capitol."

Current officeholder

The current officeholder is Delbert Hosemann. First elected in 2007, Hosemann, a Republican won re-election in 2011.

Authority

Article 6, Section 133 of the Mississippi Constitution establishes an office of Secretary of State:

There shall be a secretary of state, who shall be elected as herein provided.

Qualifications

Article 5, Section 133 of the Mississippi Constitution goes on to outline the qualifications for this office:

... He shall be at least twenty-five years of age, a citizen of the state five years next preceding the day of his election, and he shall continue in office during the term of four years...

• at least 25 years old
• a resident of Mississippi for at least the 5 years before the day of their election

Elections

The office of Secretary of State is an elected position, with elections held every four years. Elections are held at the same time and for the same term as the governor.

Term limits

The office of secretary of state is not subject to term limits.

Duties

Article 6, Section 133 of the Mississippi Constitution details the initial duties of the secretary of state:

... and shall be keeper of the capitol; he shall keep a correct register of all official acts and proceedings of the governor; and shall, when required, lay the same, and all papers, minutes, and vouchers relative thereto, before the legislature, and he shall perform such other duties as may be required of him by law...

The roles and responsibilities of the office of Secretary of State have necessarily evolved since the Constitution was written. Click [show] for more information about these expanded roles:

Chief election officer
training election officials collecting campaign finance and lobbying reports managing the statewide voter registry collecting election returns assisting local election officials in carrying out their election-related responsibilities

State land commissioner

enforcement of the 16th section public school trust lands and lieu land laws development and implementation of the public trust tidelands management programs sale of lands forefeited to the State for non-payment or ad valorem taxes inventory of State agency lands and services to the public and governmental subdivisions relating to sales, acquisitions, leasing, and the title of the State's real property assets

Point of contact for businesses
processes the formation of Mississippi corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships, and other business and non-profit entities regulates and approves all notaries public registers Mississippi trademark applications files leins under the Uniform Commercial Code

Divisions

Business regulation and enforcement

This division regulates pre-need/perpetual care providers, enforces scrap metal laws in Mississippi, and oversees administrative procedures for the state government

Business services

The business services division administers Mississippi's Corporation, Limited Liability Company and Uniform Commercial Code laws, handles business-related filings, issues notary commissions, registers correspondence schools, and administers trademark, service mark, and non-profit laws

Education and publications

Receives and issues documents and publications of the state. This includes the Official and Statistical Register (more commonly known as the "Blue Book"), Promote the Vote, and other educational outreach programs<ref="MSdiv"/>

Elections

The elections division administers election code and enforces campaign finance and lobbying requirements. The secretary also acts as Chief Elections officer for Mississippi

Policy and research

The research and development arm of the agency, the staff of this division are constantly looking for new ways to streamline services and develop legislation

Public lands

Administers and supervises all state land, including tax-forfeited property

Securities and charities

This division is responsible for the administration of Mississippi's Uniform Securities Laws and charities and non-profits. It also investigates securities and charities fraud

Compensation

See also: Compensation of state executive officers

Article 6, Section 133 of the Mississippi Constitution also explains the compensation for the secretary of state:

... He shall receive such compensation as shall be prescribed.

In 2012, the Mississippi Secretary of State was paid an estimated $90,000. This figure comes from the Council of State Governments.

Former officeholders

Summary of past officeholders. Since 1817, Mississippi has had 34 officeholders. One officeholder, H.C. Carter, served twice, non-consecutively.

Click "show" for former officeholders.

#	Name	Took office	Left office	Party
1	Daniel Williams	1817	1821
2	John A. Grimball	1821	1833
3	D. C. Dickson	1833	1835
4	Barry W. Benson	1835	1837
5	David Dickson	1837	1839
6	T. B. Woodward	1839	1841
7	L. G. Galloway	1841	1843
8	Wilson Hemingway	1843	1847
9	Samuel Stamps	1847	1850
10	Joseph Bell	1850	1852
11	James A. Horne	1852	1854
12	William H. Muse	1854	1855
13	A. B. Dilworth	1855	1860
14	B. R. Webb	1860
15	C. A. Brougher	1860	1865
16	A. Warner	1865	1869
17	Henry Musgrove	1869
18	James Lynch	1869	1872
19	Hiram R. Revels	1872	1873
20	H. C. Carter	1873
21	M. M. McLeod	1873
22	H. C. Carter	1873	1874
23	James Hill	1874	1878
24	Kinloch Falconer	1878
25	D. P. Porter	1878
26	Henry C. Myers	1878	1886
27	George M. Govan	1886	1896
28	John Logan Power	1896	1901
29	Joseph Withers Power	1901	1926
30	Walker Wood	1926	1948
31	Heber Austin Ladner	1948	1980
32	Edwin Lloyd (Ed) Pittman	1980	1984
33	Dick Molpus	1984	1996	Democratic
34	Eric Clark	1996	2008	Democratic
35	C. Delbert Hosemann, Jr.	2008	present	Republican

Contact Information

Capitol Address:

Mississippi Secretary of State
Post Office Box 136
Jackson, MS 39205-0136

Phone: (601) 359-1350
Fax: (601) 359-1499

See also

• Delbert Hosemann, Mississippi Secretary of State
• Governor of Mississippi
• Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi
• Attorney General of Mississippi
• Mississippi Constitution

External links

Suggest a link

• Office of the Mississippi Secretary of State
• Official State of Mississippi Website
• Secretary of State,"Qualifications and Fees for Mississippi Candidates"
• Stennis Institute I&R paper