Wisconsin Secretary of State
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The Wisconsin Secretary of State is an officer of the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the second in the order of succession of the Wisconsin Governor, behind the Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor.
The current secretary of state is Douglas Lafollette.
Election and term of office
The secretary of state is elected on Election Day in November, and takes office on the first Monday of January. Originally, the secretary of state's term lasted for two years, since a 1967 amendment, however, the term has lasted four years. There is no limit to the number of terms a secretary of state may hold.
In the event of a vacancy in the office of the secretary of state, the governor may appoint a replacement to fill the remainder of the term.
The secretary of state may be removed from office through an impeachment trial. He may also choose to resign from office.
Powers and duties
The secretary of state is required to keep a record of all the official acts of the legislative and executive branches of Wisconsin's government. The secretary is also the keeper of the Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin and affixes it to the official acts of the governor. Additionally, the secretary of state publishes the state laws, files oaths of office, registers trademarks, files deeds for state lands, preserves the original copies of laws, files incorporation papers and other documents for cities and villages, and issues notary authentications.
The secretary of state is the second in the order of succession of the governor of Wisconsin; under the current terms of the state constitution, if the governor dies, resigns or is removed from office and the office of the lieutenant governor is vacant, the secretary of state becomes governor, whereas in the vacancy of the lieutenant governorship and the absence from the state, impeachment or inability to serve due to illness, the secretary of state merely becomes acting governor. These terms came into effect with an amendment to the constitution in 1979; originally, in all of these events, the secretary of state simply became acting governor.
Contact information
Physical Address:
30 W. Mifflin, 10th Floor
Madison, WI 53703
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 7848
Madison, WI 53707-7848
Phone: 608-266-8888
Fax: 608-266-3159
Email: statesec@sos.state.wi.us
See also
- Wisconsin Secretary of State Douglas Lafollette
- Wisconsin Governor
- Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor
- Wisconsin Attorney General
External links
References
Portions of this article were adapted from Wikipedia.
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