Kentucky Secretary of State
| Kentucky Secretary of State | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $139,725 |
| 2025 FY Budget: | $6,649,700 |
| Term limits: | Two consecutive terms |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Kentucky Constitution, Section 91 |
| Selection Method: | Elected |
| Current Officeholder(s) | |
Kentucky Secretary of State
Michael Adams | |
| Elections | |
| Next election: | November 2, 2027 |
| Last election: | November 7, 2023 |
| Other Kentucky Executive Offices | |
| Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Commissioner of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Commissioner • Labor Cabinet Secretary • Public Service Commission | |
The Secretary of State for Kentucky is one of the constitutional officers of the state of Kentucky, responsible for business registration, preservation of state records, state election management, and other administrative, fiscal and personnel tasks.[1]
Kentucky has a divided government where neither party holds a triplex. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor, while the Republican Party controls the offices of attorney general and secretary of state.
Current officeholder
The current Kentucky Secretary of State is Michael Adams (R). Adams assumed office in 2020.
Authority
The office of Secretary of State is established by Section 91 of the Kentucky Constitution. The state Constitution prescribes only one duty for the secretary of state: keeping a "fair register of ... all the official acts of the Governor." The other duties of the secretary of state, as for all Kentucky state executives, are "as may be prescribed by law," and are thus not constitutionally enshrined.[2]
Kentucky Constitution, Section 91
| A Treasurer, Auditor of Public Accounts, Commissioner of Agriculture, Labor and Statistics, Secretary of State, and Attorney-General, shall be elected by the qualified voters of the State... The duties of all these officers shall be such as may be prescribed by law, and the Secretary of State shall keep a fair register of and attest all the official acts of the Governor, and shall, when required, lay the same and all papers, minutes and vouchers relative thereto before either House of the General Assembly. |
Qualifications
Per Section 91 of the Kentucky Constitution, the secretary of state must be at least thirty years old and have been a resident of Kentucky for two years before election.[2]
Kentucky Constitution, Section 91
| A ... Secretary of State ... shall be elected by the qualified voters of the State at the same time the Governor and Lieutenant Governor are elected ... for the term of four years, [who] shall be at least thirty years of age at the time of his election, and shall have been a resident citizen of the State at least two years next before his election. |
Elections
The secretary of state is chosen in the year preceding a presidential election (e.g. 2015, 2019, 2023).[3] The secretary of state is inaugurated on the first Monday in January after the election.[2]
Term limits
A secretary of state in Kentucky may only be elected to two consecutive terms and is ineligible to run for the four years following the second term. After those four years, that individual is free to run again.[4]
Kentucky Constitution, Section 93:
| The Treasurer, Auditor of Public Accounts, Secretary of State, Commissioner of Agriculture, Labor and Statistics, and Attorney General shall be ineligible to re-election for the succeeding four years after the expiration of any second consecutive term for which they shall have been elected. The duties and responsibilities of these officers shall be prescribed by law, and all fees collected by any of said officers shall be covered into the treasury. Inferior State officers and members of boards and commissions, not specifically provided for in this Constitution, may be appointed or elected, in such manner as may be prescribed by law, which may include a requirement of consent by the Senate, for a term not exceeding four years, and until their successors are appointed or elected and qualified. |
2027
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
General election
The general election will occur on November 2, 2027.
Past elections
Vacancies
The Kentucky Constitution allows the governor to fill vacancies for this office. Temporary appointments expire after the next election.[6]
Duties
The secretary's duties are administrative in nature. Many of these duties involve keeping state records, ranging from the registration of businesses to officially recording the acts of the governor. The secretary of state is also the repository of land grants and surveys through the State Land Office.
The secretary of state's office also represents the state in various legal matters, from lawsuits involving foreign corporations to pursuing non-resident motorists who violate traffic laws.
Additionally, the secretary serves as the chief election officer of Kentucky. Until 2019, the secretary of state was the chair of the Kentucky Board of Elections. On March 19, 2019, Gov. Matt Bevin (R) signed House Bill 114, making the secretary of state an ex officio, non-voting member of the board.[7]
Other miscellaneous duties of the secretary of state include appointing notaries public, issuing Kentucky colonel commissions, and keeping the Seal of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.[8]
Divisions
As of January 18, 2021, divisions within the Secretary of State's office included:[9]
- Office of Administration
- Office of Business
- Office of Elections
State budget
- See also: Kentucky state budget and finances
The Secretary of State's budget for Fiscal Year 2025 was $6,649,700.[10]
Compensation
- See also: Compensation of state executive officers
Salary for the secretary of state is determined by statute, and is automatically adjusted upwards every year to adjust for inflation.[11] Section 96 of the Kentucky Constitution stipulates compensation for duties must be paid as a salary and in no other way.[12]
Kentucky Constitution, Section 96
| Compensation of Constitutional State officers. All officers mentioned in Section 95 shall be paid for their services by salary, and not otherwise. |
2023
In 2023, the officer's salary was $139,725, according to the Council of State Governments.[13]
2022
In 2022, the officer's salary was $129,375, according to the Council of State Governments.[14]
2021
In 2021, the secretary of state received a salary of $129,375, according to the Council of State Governments.[15]
2020
In 2020, the secretary of state received a salary of $129,375 according to the Council of State Governments.[16]
2019
In 2019, the secretary of state received a salary of $126,485 according to the Council of State Governments.[17]
2018
In 2018, the secretary of state received a salary of $124,113 according to the Council of State Governments.[18]
2017
In 2017, the secretary of state received a salary of $121,550 according to the Council of State Governments.[19]
2016
In 2016, the secretary of state received a salary of $119,080 according to the Council of State Governments.[20]
2015
In 2015, the secretary of state received a salary of $118,217 according to the Council of State Governments.[21]
2014
In 2014, the secretary received a salary of $117,329 according to the Council of State Governments.[22]
2013
In 2013, the secretary received a salary of $115,593 according to the Council of State Governments.[23]
2012
In 2012, the secretary received a salary of $113,615 according to the Council of State Governments.
Historical officeholders
Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for chronological lists of historical officeholders; information for the Kentucky Secretary of State has not yet been added because the information was unavailable on the relevant state official websites, or we are currently in the process of formatting the list for this office. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Kentucky Secretary State. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
Contact information
Capitol Address:
Office of the Secretary of State
700 Capital Avenue
Suite 152
Frankfort, KY 40601
Phone: (502) 564-3490
See also
| Kentucky | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Kentucky Secretary of State, "Overview of the Office," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Kentucky Constitution, "Section 91," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑ Kentucky Constitution, "Section 95," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑ Kentucky Constitution, "Section 93," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑ Kentucky Secretary of State, "Secretary of State," accessed November 4, 2015
- ↑ Kentucky Constitution, "Section 76," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑ WKYT, "Gov. Bevin signs bill limiting secretary of state's power," March 19, 2019
- ↑ Kentucky Secretary of State, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑ Kentucky Secretary of State, "Overview of the Office," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑ Kentucky Office of State Budget Director, "2024-2026 Budget of the Commonwealth," accessed January 17, 2025
- ↑ Kentucky Revised Statutes, "64.480," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑ Kentucky Constitution, "Section 96," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2023 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 15, 2025
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
- ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 22, 2022
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2020," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2019," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2018," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2017," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed November 24, 2014
- ↑ The Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2013, Table 4.11," accessed February 2, 2014
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