Secretary of State (US states)

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Party affiliation by state: blue for the Democrats, red for the Republicans, the office does not exist in states with a gray background

The Secretary of State is a high political office in 47 of the 50 states in the United States , and ranks third in protocol after the governor and lieutenant governor . Functionally, he performs the duties of the Minister of the Interior , whereby his responsibilities also extend to areas of economy, justice and finance, and in some cases even to foreign policy.

Exceptions

No Secretary of State is familiar with the constitutions of Alaska , Hawaii, and Utah ; here the lieutenant governor assumes the duties of the Secretary of State . In Massachusetts , Pennsylvania, and Virginia , the office is officially called Secretary of the Commonwealth , but their officers are still counted among the Secretaries of State . In the government of the United States is US Secretary of State also as Secretary of State ( United States Secretary of State designated).

choice

In 35 states, including California and Illinois , the Secretary of State is directly elected by the people; the term of office is four years. A Secretary of State can be re-elected any number of times in most states, such as a congressman or US senator . Some states have limited terms in office. Thad A. Eure (1899–1993), who held the office of Secretary of State for North Carolina from 1936 to 1989, over a period of 53 years, gained fame .

In a further nine states, including Florida , Texas and Oklahoma , the governor appoints the Secretary of State as a cabinet member.

In three states - Tennessee , Maine and New Hampshire - the House of Representatives elects the Secretary of State during the first session of the legislature . The only difference is that it is not the parties who appoint the person, but the person independently declares their candidacy.

tasks

Primary tasks

As with the electoral process, the Secretary of State's responsibilities vary from state to state.

His most important skills are in the states of Arizona , Oregon and Wyoming . Since these three states do not have a lieutenant governor, the Secretary of State assumes the vacant office of a governor in the event of the death or resignation of a governor.

Another important task of the Secretary of State is the organization of gubernatorial, Senate and MP elections, the control of the party primaries, the admission of candidates to the elections, the control and supervision of election campaign funds and donations and the supervision of the election in the election days themselves. known in this connection was Katherine Harris , between 1999 and 2003 the Secretary of State of Florida , which in the 2000 presidential election was re-enumerate individual constituencies in their state so that George W. Bush the winner of the race for the White house emerged .

The Secretary of State is also responsible for overseeing the Uniform Commercial Code . Nationwide standards for contracts between companies and the state are to be guaranteed. Also, the Secretary of State supreme supervisory body in the creation of capital and partnerships .

Also in many states, the Secretary of State is the guardian of state constitutional documents; in Delaware he is also responsible for the proper safekeeping of the Bill of Rights , the first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution . The Secretary of State also has the management of the state archives under his control, in which documents such as marriage, adoption and death certificates are archived as well as documents relating to the purchase and sale of land.

The Secretary of State appoints notaries and attorneys in 35 states . He is also the guardian of the seal with which state laws are marked and passed. He is responsible for leading the Address Confidentiality Program in 31 states . This provides that victims of sexual violence and stalking do not have to disclose their new address to the authorities; the Secretary of State is the only person in the state who has access to this sensitive information.

Secondary tasks

The Secretary of State grants professional licenses in approximately 12 states , especially in regulated trades such as doctors , plumbers, and beauticians . In Nevada , Pennsylvania and West Virginia , the Secretary of State alone decides who can act as an athlete's manager and agent . In two states, the Secretary of State must review the competencies of an evangelical minister who performs marriages.

In a number of states, including Mississippi , Massachusetts and Wyoming , the Secretary of State oversees the equity and securities markets.

In the states of Illinois , Maine and Michigan only , the Secretary of State is responsible for issuing driver's licenses, driving licenses and registering motor vehicles . In these three states he is also responsible for collecting the vehicle tax , which in the other states is collected by the road traffic authority or the responsible transport ministry.

In many states, the Secretary of State is responsible for the administration and maintenance of public buildings ( Capitol ) and lands; in Mississippi this also includes the Wadden Sea on the Gulf of Mexico . Also in about five states, the Secretary of State is the state museum administrator and historical record keeper.

In many states, the Secretary of State also has an equal say alongside the governor on pardons , especially in the case of preventing and suspending the death penalty. In Delaware and Nebraska there is the Board of Pardons for this purpose , in which it is required by law that in addition to the governor also a second vote, which is provided for the Secretary of State , to pardon a prisoner.

Another competence that the states have acquired independently since the early 1980s is constitutionally controversial. In economically strong and relevant states, such as New York and California, the Secretary of State appears to foreign business delegations in order to acquire orders or sales markets, especially for his state. According to the constitution, only the United States as a whole, represented by the United States Secretary of State or the President, has foreign policy powers . But in states that are trying to strengthen their own competencies against Washington, DC , the Secretary of State takes on foreign policy functions to a certain extent.

In Maine and California , in the case of gubernatorial elections in which there is no clear winner, the Secretary of State decides by lot who has won. In Maine this only applies to internal party primaries, in California to the actual election.

Special skills

  • In Delaware , the Secretary of State heads the Delaware Commission of Veterans Affairs.
  • In Indiana , he's responsible for regulating auto dealerships; which means that he makes sure that there are only a certain number of car dealers for a certain number of square miles.
  • In New Jersey , he holds the position of Minister of Integration and Education : He is responsible for promoting multiculturalism as well as literacy for immigrants.
  • New York's Secretary of State oversees the state's thousands of cemeteries . Since 1972 he has also been obliged to implement the Coastal Zone Management Act , a federal law that provides for the preservation of the natural resources of coastal states for future generations.
  • In North Dakota , the Secretary of State uses a toss of a coin to decide who will take office and who will come out on top in an election in which no candidate is the clear winner.
  • In South Carolina , the Secretary of State alone decides who gets a license to install and sell cable television .
  • In South Dakota , the Secretary of State alone grants permits to carry guns in public. This particularly applies to security companies.

Current incumbent

Katie Hobbs, Secretary of State in Arizona

literature

Web links