Wyoming Secretary of State

Wyoming Secretary of State
General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
2013 FY Budget:	$7,899,984
Term limits:	None
Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Wyoming Constitution, Article 4, Section 11
Selection Method:	Elected
Current Officeholder
Name:	Max Maxfield
Officeholder Party:	Republican
Assumed office:	2006
Compensation:	$92,000
Elections
Next election:	November 4, 2014
Last election:	November 2, 2010
Other Wyoming Executive Offices
Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditors: Auditor • Director • Superintendent of Education • • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commission

The Wyoming Secretary of State is an elected executive position in the Wyoming state government. The secretary is the chief election officer in the state. Responsible for handling the business affairs of the state, the secretary is the keeper of the Great Seal of Wyoming and serves as the "acting governor" when the Governor is not available.

Current officeholder

The current officeholder is Max Maxfield. He was first elected in 2006 and was re-elected in 2010. His current term expires in 2014.

Authority

The secretary of state's authority is derived from Article 4 of the Wyoming Constitution.

Article 4, Section 11:

There shall be chosen by the qualified electors of the state at the times and places of choosing members of the legislature, a secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, and superintendent of public instruction...

Qualifications

Article 4, Section 6 of the state constitution also establishes the qualifications of the office:

There shall be chosen by the qualified electors of the state at the times and places of choosing members of the legislature, a secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, and superintendent of public instruction, who shall have attained the age of twenty-five (25) years respectively, shall be citizens of the United States, and shall have the qualifications of state electors...

• at least twenty-five (25) years of age
• a citizen of the United States
• qualified as an elector in the state of Wyoming

Elections

The office of Secretary of State is elected every four years, in mid-term election years. In Wyoming, secretary of state elections are held in 2010, 2014, and 2016.

Term limits

There are no term limits for this office.

Vacancies

Article 4, Section 7 of the state constitution grants the governor the authority to fill any office that becomes vacant, so long as there is not already a constitutional or legal method for filling the vacancy.

Duties

The Wyoming Secretary of State is the custodian of the great seal of Wyoming. They affix the seal to and countersign commissions, official acts of the governor, and other paperwork when required by law.

Additional duties of the secretary of state are outlines in Title 9, Chapter 1, Article 3 of the Wyoming Code. The secretary is the custodian of and preserves:

1. All the public records, documents, acts and resolutions of the legislatures of the territory and state of Wyoming;
2. All proclamations of the governor proclaiming the effectiveness of constitutional amendments, corporate revocations and any other proclamation designated as a permanent record by the governor. The secretary of state shall preserve all other proclamations of the governor for one (1) year and then deliver them to the department of state parks and cultural resources for destruction or preservation as it deems desirable;
3. Property of the state when no other provision is made by law;
4. Copies of all clemency documents signed by the governor, including pardons, commutations of sentence, reprieves, remissions of fine or forfeiture, and restorations of civil rights.

Divisions

The office of the secretary of state is comprised of five offices:

• The Administrative Support Division manages the office's budget and provides administrative and managerial support to the entire office. This division also maintains the records of Wyoming's notaries public.
• The Business Division maintains business records, including trademarks and trade names.
• The Compliance Division regulates stock brokers and securities traders. The division also investigates claims of securities fraud.
• The Elections Division oversees all elections in the state. The division maintains records of all campaign financing, election results, and registered lobbyists.
• The Technology Division provides technical support for the office. The division also maintains the secretary of state's official website.

State budget

The budget for the Secretary of State's Office in Fiscal Year 2013-2014 is $7,899,984.

Compensation

In 2010, the Wyoming Secretary of State was paid an estimated $92,000 according to the Council of State Governments.

Former officeholders

Wyoming officially became a state on July 10, 1890. On November 8, 1890, Amos W. Barber became the first Wyoming Secretary of State. Prior to that date, officeholders were known as Wyoming Secretaries of the Territory.

Click "show" former officeholders

#	Name	Took office	Left office	Party
1	Edward Merwin Lee	April 14, 1869	May 25, 1870	Republican
2	Herman Glafcke	May 25, 1870	May 1, 1873	Republican
3	Jason B. Brown	May 1, 1873	March 17, 1875	Democratic
4	George W. French	March 17, 1875	February 25, 1879	Republican
5	Albertis Worth Spates	February 25, 1879	April 1, 1880	Republican
6	Elliot S.N. Morgan	April 1, 1880	April 25, 1887	Republican
7	Samuel D. Shannon	April 25, 1887	July 1, 1889	Democratic
8	John W. Meldrum	July 1, 1889	November 8, 1890	Republican
9	Amos W. Barber	November 8, 1890	January 1895	Republican
10	Charles W. Burdick	January 1895	January 1899	Republican
11	Fenimore Chatterton	January 1899	January 1907	Republican
12	William Schnitger	January 1907	January 1911	Republican
13	Frank L. Houx	January 1911	January 1919	Democratic
14	William E. Chaplin	January 1919	January 1923	Republican
15	Frank E. Lucas	January 1923	January 1927	Republican
16	Alonzo M. Clark	January 1927	January 1935	Republican
17	Lester C. Hunt	January 1935	January 1943	Democratic
18	Mart T. Christensen	January 1943	October 12, 1944	Republican
19	William "Scotty" Jack	October 12, 1944	January 1947	Democratic
20	Arthur G. Crane	January 1947	January 1951	Republican
21	C.J. "Doc" Rogers	January 1951	January 1955	Republican
22	Everett T. Copenhaver	January 1955	January 1959	Republican
23	Jack R. Gage	January 1959	January 1963	Democratic
24	Thyra Thomson	January 1963	January 1987	Republican
25	Kathy Karpan	January 1987	January 1995	Democratic
26	Diana J. Ohman	January 1995	January 1999	Republican
27	Joseph B. Meyer	January 1999	January 2007	Republican
28	Max Maxfield	January 2007	Present	Republican

Contact Information

Wyoming Secretary of State
The Capitol Building, Room 106
200 West 24th Street
Cheyenne, WY 82002-0020

Phone: (307) 777-7378
Fax: (307) 777-6217
E-mail: secofstate@state.wy.us

See also

• Max Maxfield
• Governor of Wyoming
• Attorney General of Wyoming
• Wyoming Constitution

External links

Suggest a link

• Office of the Wyoming Secretary of State