Secretary of State of Washington
Incumbent
Steve Hobbs
since November 22, 2021
Style
SeatWashington State Capitol
Olympia, Washington
Term lengthFour years, no term limits
Constituting instrumentWashington Constitution of 1889: Article II, Section 1; Article III, Sections 1, 3, 4, 10, 12, 15, 17, 18, and 24; Article IV, Sections 3 and 28; Article V, Section 2; Article XXVII, Section 12; and Article XXVIII, Section 1[1]
Inaugural holderAllan Weir
FormationNovember 11, 1889 (November 11, 1889)
Salary$134,640[2]
WebsiteOfficial page

The secretary of state of Washington is an independently elected constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Washington. Fifteen individuals have held the office of Secretary of State since statehood. The incumbent is Steve Hobbs, a Democrat.[3]

Qualifications

To hold office as Secretary of State, a person must be a United States citizen registered to vote in the state of Washington, provide a $10,000 surety bond to the state conditioned on faithful execution of the duties of office, and reside in the city of Olympia, Washington, by the time of inauguration. Only the governor, state treasurer and secretary of state are constitutionally required to live in the capital city.

Powers and duties

The secretary of state is in effect the guarantor of the continuity and stability of good government in Washington, with his or her role extending to the certification, filing, and preservation of public records, the supervision of all aspects of state and local elections, and the registration and regulatory oversight of businesses and charities.[4]

Records management

The secretary of state is the keeper of the Seal of Washington as prescribed by the constitution, and as such is responsible for regulating its use and certifying to the official acts of the Legislature and governor.[5][6] In this role, the secretary of state has additional duties related to the disposition of state honors and records. For example, the secretary of state regulates the use of the Washington State flag and is an ex officio non-voting member on the committees for the Washington Medal of Valor and the Washington Medal of Merit.[7][8] Similarly, the secretary of state directs and supervises Washington's state archives and state library. The state archives coordinates the preservation and management of public records across government, whereas the state library maintains libraries in correctional and mental health institutions and supports scholarly study of its vast research collections.[9][10]

Election administration

The Elections Division of the Office of the Secretary of State has general oversight of election administration throughout the state, with individual county auditors being responsible for candidate registration, ballot preparation, polling, and canvassing.[11] The secretary of state exercises this constitutional power, duty, and authority as chief election officer by accrediting the balloting procedures used by each county, certifying the results of elections, verifying petition signatures used to qualify initiatives and referendums, and distributing the state voter's pamphlet and official notice of elections advertisements.[12] Lobbying and campaign finance are separately regulated by the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission.[13]

Business registration

The Corporations Division of the Office of the Secretary of State registers a variety of business associations by virtue of the secretary of state's role as company register, including corporations, cooperatives, limited liability companies, limited liability partnerships, limited partnerships, assumed business names, and trademarks.[14][15] The secretary also regulates charities and charitable trusts, including registering individuals, organizations and commercial fundraisers involved in charitable solicitations.[16] Unlike in some other states however, the secretary of state is not responsible for commissioning notaries or recording liens or financing statements under the Uniform Commercial Code. Those functions are instead performed by the Washington State Department of Licensing.[17][18]

Miscellaneous duties

A variety of miscellaneous duties have been assigned to the secretary of state through statute, including coordination of the state's Address Confidentiality Program and administration of the state's workplace giving program, "the Combined Fund Drive".[19][20] Constitutionally speaking, the Secretary of State is likewise second (behind the lieutenant governor) in the line of succession to the office of Governor of Washington.[21]

List of Washington secretaries of state

The State of Washington has had a total of sixteen secretaries of state:[22]

#ImageNameTermParty
1Allan Weir1890–1893Republican
2James Price1893–1897Republican
3Will Jenkins1897–1901Populist
4Sam Nichols1901–1909Republican
5Ithamar Howell1909–1920Republican
6Jay Hinkle1920–1933Republican
7Ernest Hutchinson1933–1938Democratic
8Belle Reeves1938–1948Democratic
9Earl Coe1948–1957Democratic
10Victor Aloysius Meyers1957–1965Democratic
11Lud Kramer1965–1975Republican
12Bruce Chapman1975–1981Republican
13Ralph Munro1981–2001Republican
14Sam Reed2001–2013Republican
15Kim Wyman2013–2021Republican
16Steve Hobbs2021–presentDemocratic

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Constitution of Washington". Office of the Code Reviser. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Salaray Information". Washington Citizens' Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  3. ↑ Melissa Santos. "Gov. Inslee announces pick for Washington's new Secretary of State". Crosscut. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  4. ↑ About the Office
  5. ↑ "The Washington State Seal". Washington Office of the Secretary of State. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Chapter 43.07, Revised Code of Washington". Washington Office of the Code Reviser. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Washington State Flag". Washington Office of the Secretary of State. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Medals of Merit & Valor". Washington Office of the Secretary of State. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Washington State Archives". Washington Office of the Secretary of State. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Washington State Library". Washington Office of the Secretary of State. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  11. ↑ Elections
  12. ↑ Title 29A, Revised Code of Washington
  13. ↑ Washington State Public Disclosure Commission homepage Archived 2008-09-13 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ↑ Washington Secretary of State Corporations Division page
  15. ↑ Comparison of business structures, from the Office of the Washington Secretary of State
  16. ↑ Washington Secretary of State, Charities & Trusts Division
  17. ↑ "Notaries public". Washington State Department of Licensing. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  18. ↑ "UCC-Uniform Commercial Code". Washington State Department of Licensing. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  19. ↑ Washington State Address Confidentiality Program
  20. ↑ Combined Fund Drive
  21. ↑ "Washington State Constitution". Washington State Legislature. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  22. ↑ "Washington's Secretaries of State - Past and Present". Sos.wa.gov. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
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