Secretary of State of Washington

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]

Secretary of State of Washington
Incumbent Steve Hobbs since November 22, 2021
Style	Mr. or Madam Secretary (informal) The Honorable (formal)
Seat	Washington State Capitol Olympia, Washington
Term length	Four years, no term limits
Constituting instrument	Washington 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 holder	Allan Weir
Formation	November 11, 1889 (133 years ago) (November 11, 1889)
Salary	$134,640^[2]
Website	Official page

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 including regulating the use of the Washington State flag and is an ex officio non-voting member of the committees for the Washington Medal of Valor and the Washington Medal of Merit.^[7][8][9] 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.^[10][11]

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.^[12] 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.^[13] Lobbying and campaign finance are separately regulated by the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission.^[14]

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.^[15][16] The secretary also regulates charities and charitable trusts, including registering individuals, organizations and commercial fundraisers involved in charitable solicitations.^[17] 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.^[18][19]

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".^[20][21] 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.^[22]

List of Washington secretaries of state

The State of Washington has had a total of sixteen secretaries of state:^[23]

#	Image	Name	Term	Party
1		Allan Weir	1890–1893	Republican
2		James Price	1893–1897	Republican
3		Will Jenkins	1897–1901	Populist
4		Sam Nichols	1901–1909	Republican
5		Ithamar Howell	1909–1920	Republican
6		Jay Hinkle	1920–1933	Republican
7		Ernest Hutchinson	1933–1938	Democratic
8		Belle Reeves	1938–1948	Democratic
9		Earl Coe	1948–1957	Democratic
10		Victor Aloysius Meyers	1957–1965	Democratic
11		Lud Kramer	1965–1975	Republican
12		Bruce Chapman	1975–1981	Republican
13		Ralph Munro	1981–2001	Republican
14		Sam Reed	2001–2013	Republican
15		Kim Wyman	2013–2021	Republican
16		Steve Hobbs	2021–present	Democratic

See also

• The Washington Medal of Merit
• List of company registers

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
6. Chapter 43.07, Revised Code of Washington
7. Washington Secretary of State, State Flag page
8. Laws Regarding the Washington State Medal of Valor
9. Laws Regarding the Washington State Medal of Merit
10. Washington State Archives
11. Washington State Library
12. Elections
13. Title 29A, Revised Code of Washington
14. Washington State Public Disclosure Commission homepage 2008-09-13 at the Wayback Machine
15. Washington Secretary of State Corporations Division page
16. Comparison of business structures, from the Office of the Washington Secretary of State
17. Washington Secretary of State, Charities & Trusts Division
18. "Notaries public". Washington State Department of Licensing. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
19. "UCC-Uniform Commercial Code". Washington State Department of Licensing. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
20. Washington State Address Confidentiality Program
21. Combined Fund Drive
22. "Washington State Constitution". Washington State Legislature. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
23. "Washington's Secretaries of State - Past and Present". Sos.wa.gov. Retrieved 2012-01-06.

External links

• Official homepage of the Washington Secretary of State
• List of previous Washington Secretaries of State
• Washington State Elections Top 2 Primary FAQ