The secretary of state of California is the chief clerk of the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, overseeing a department of 500 people. The
secretary of state is elected for four year terms, like the state's other
constitutional officers; the officeholder is restricted by
term limit
A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potential for monopoly, w ...
s to two terms. The current secretary of state is
Shirley Weber, who assumed the role in 2021 after
Alex Padilla
Alejandro Padilla (born March 22, 1973) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from California, a seat he has held since 2021. A member of the Democrati ...
's appointment to the
US Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
.
Duties
Elections
The secretary of state is California's chief elections officer, overseeing all federal and state elections in the state and maintaining a database of registered voters. The officeholder is also responsible for disclosure of campaign and lobbyist financial information, under the California Political Reform Act of 1974.
Corporations
The Office of the Secretary of State has a number of responsibilities related to corporations; the largest portion office is the Business Programs Division, which handles corporate filings. The Business Entities Section processes, files and maintains records related to corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships and other business entities conducting or planning to conduct business in California.
Registries
The office also maintains a number of registries, including the Safe at Home confidential address program and the Domestic Partners and Advance Health Care Directive.
Other roles of the secretary of state include safeguarding the California State Archives and sitting on the board of trustees of
the California Museum
The California Museum is the List of U.S. state historical societies and museums, state history museum of the US state of California, located in its capital city of Sacramento and housed within the Secretary of State of California, Secretary of ...
, though the officeholder has not been responsible for the
California State Library
The California State Library is the state library of the State of California, founded in 1850 by the California State Legislature. The Library collects, preserves, generates and disseminates a wide array of information. Today, it is the central ...
since 1862.
Organization
The Secretary of State's Office is divided into six main divisions:
*Executive Division, which also includes the Office of Elections Cybersecurity and the Office of Voting Systems Technology Assessment.
*Elections Division
*Political Reform Division, which maintains the registry of lobbyists, campaign finances, etc.
*Management Services Division, which includes accounting, human resources, building operations, etc.
*Business Programs Division, which handles the registration of companies, notary services, etc.
*State Archives, which also administers the State Museum that is a part of the Secretary of State's headquarters in downtown Sacramento.
The Secretary of State's Office also works in conjunction with the state Voting Modernization Board.
List of secretaries of state of California
See also
*
Government of California
The government of California is the governmental structure of the U.S. state of California as established by the Constitution of California, California Constitution. California uses the separation of powers system to structure its government. It ...
*
Politics of California
*
Impeachment in California
References
External links
*
California Secretary of State foreign qualification
{{U.S. State Secretaries of State