Minnesota Secretary of State

The secretary of state of Minnesota is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Twenty-two individuals have held the office of secretary of state since statehood. The incumbent is Steve Simon, a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.

Election and term of office

The secretary of state is elected by the people on Election Day in November, and takes office on the first Monday of the next January. There is no limit to the number of terms a secretary of state may hold. To be elected secretary of state, a person must be qualified voter, permanently resident in the state of Minnesota at least 30 days prior to the election, and at least 21 years of age.
In the event of a vacancy in the office of the secretary of state, the governor may appoint a successor to serve the balance of the term. The secretary of state may also be recalled by the voters or removed from office through an impeachment trial.

Powers and duties

The secretary of state is keeper of the Great Seal as prescribed by the Minnesota Constitution. As such, the secretary of state files, certifies, and preserves in their office the enrolled laws of the Legislature, executive orders, commissions and proclamations issued by the governor, state agency rules, official oaths and bonds of state officials, and miscellaneous municipal boundary records. In connection with this role, the secretary of state also processes notary public applications and registers a variety of business associations, including corporations, cooperatives, limited liability companies, limited liability partnerships, limited partnerships, assumed business names, and trademarks. Additionally, a statewide computerized network jointly maintained by the Office of the Secretary of State and county recorders allows the public to file and search Uniform Commercial Code and tax lien records throughout the state.
Hand in hand with business registration and the safekeeping of government records, the secretary of state also administers the open appointments process for state agencies and Safe at Home, Minnesota's address confidentiality program for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and other types of crime. Moreover, the secretary of state annually publishes the Minnesota Legislative Manual, a compendium of federal, state, and local government information. Perhaps the most visible and significant duty of the Secretary of State, however, is the administration of Minnesota's election laws. The secretary of state is Minnesota's chief election officer and as such canvasses and certifies election returns and operates the statewide voter registration system, among other election administration duties.
Aside from these functional responsibilities, the secretary of state chairs the State Canvassing Board and is a member of the Executive Council, the State Board of Investment, and an ex-officio member of the governing board for the Minnesota Historical Society.

History

The office of secretary of state has existed since before the Minnesota Territory achieved statehood in 1858, and the responsibilities of the office have largely remained the same in the intervening years.

Territorial Secretaries

Secretaries of State

In 1886, elections were moved from odd years to even years. Beginning with the 1962 election, the term of the office increased from two to four years.

No.	Image	Name	Took office	Left office	Party
1		Francis Baasen	1858	1860	Democratic
2		James H. Baker	1860	1862	Republican
3		David Blakeley	1862	1866	Republican
4		Henry C. Rogers	1866	1870	Republican
5		Hans Mattson	1870	1872	Republican
6		Samuel P. Jennison	1872	1876	Republican
7		John S. Irgens	1876	1880	Republican
8		Frederick Von Baumbach	1880	1887	Republican
9		Hans Mattson	1887	1891	Republican
10		Frederick P. Brown	1891	1895	Republican
11		Albert Berg	1895	1901	Republican
12		Peter E. Hanson	1901	1907	Republican
13		Julius A. Schmahl	1907	1921	Republican
14		Mike Holm	1921	1952	Republican
15		H. H. Chesterman	1952	1952	Nonpartisan
16		Virginia Paul Holm	1952	1955	Republican
17		Joseph L. Donovan	1955	1971	DFL
18		Arlen Erdahl	1971	1975	Republican
19		Joan Growe	1975	1999	DFL
20		Mary Kiffmeyer	1999	2007	Republican
21		Mark Ritchie	2007	2015	DFL
22		Steve Simon	2015		DFL

Chesterman served as Assistant Secretary of State under Mike Holm, and was appointed to the position upon Holm's death. He left office later that same year, and never stood for election.