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Secretary of State (state executive office)
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The secretary of state is a state-level position in 47 of the 50 states. The position does not exist in Alaska, Hawaii and Utah. In Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia, the office is called the secretary of the commonwealth and differs only in name. The voters directly elect the secretary of state in 35 states. In the other 12, the secretary is appointed by either the governor or the state legislature.
The position's duties are generally administrative, 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 of current secretaries of state. For other state executive offices, click here.
| Office |  Democratic
|
 Republican
|
 Independent
|
Nonpartisan | Vacancy | Total seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secretary of State | 21 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 |
| Counts current as of September 2025. If you see an error, please email us. | ||||||
Current officeholders
List of current secretaries of state
This list includes the 47 current secretaries of state.
Partisanship affiliation map
Comparison across states
Although the position of secretary of state is popularly elected in the majority of states, it is an appointed position in 12 states. Of those 12, the governor is given the power of appointment in nine, while the state Legislature appoints the secretary of state in the remaining three.
Election history
2025
- See also: State executive official elections, 2025
No state is holding elections for secretary of state in 2025.
2024
- See also: Secretary of State elections, 2024
Seven states held elections for secretary of state in 2024:
2023
- See also: Secretary of State elections, 2023
Three states held elections for secretary of state in 2023:
2022
- See also: Secretary of State elections, 2022
Twenty-seven states held elections for secretary of state in 2022:
Historical control
In 1977, the Democratic Party held a total of 25 elected secretary of state offices to the Republican Party's 10. The Democratic lead in secretary of state offices narrowed somewhat throughout the 1980s, but once again reached a 25-10 majority of elected offices in 1989 and 1990. Following the 1994 midterm elections, the Republican Party gained an 18-17 majority of elected secretary of state offices. The Democrats would regain their lead following the 2008 presidential election but lose it once again in the 2010 midterm elections. The gap between the parties widened following the 2016 elections, which increased the Republican majority of elected secretary of state offices from 21-14 to 24-11. Democrats picked up 3 net seats in the 2018 elections, and North Dakota incumbent Secretary of State Al Jaeger won re-election as an independent, leaving Republicans with a 20-14 majority. One seat switched from Democrat to Republican in the 2019 elections, one switched from Republican to Democrat in 2020, and Jaeger returned to identifying as a Republican, which returned the margin of elected secretaries of state to 21-14 in favor of Republicans. Democrats gained one elected secretary of state office in the 2022 elections, leaving Republicans with a 20-15 majority.
See also
- National Association of Secretaries of State
- Secretaries of State with term limits
- State executive offices
- State executive official elections, 2022
- State executive official elections, 2023
- State executive official elections, 2024
- Secretary of State elections, 2022
- Secretary of State elections, 2023
- Secretary of State elections, 2024
External links
Footnotes
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