The secretary of state of

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

is a constitutional officer in 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 sove ...

of Maine and serves as the head of the Maine Department of State. The Secretary of State performs duties of both a legislative branch as well as an executive branch officer. The role oversees areas that include motor vehicle licensing, state identification, record keeping, and corporate chartering. The secretary of state is elected biannually by ballot of members of both houses of the

Maine Legislature The Maine Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. It is a bicameral body composed of the lower house Maine House of Representatives and the upper house Maine Senate. The Legislature convenes at the State House in Augus ...

assembled together, identical in procedure to its neighbor,

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

. The position is elected at the start of the first session of the

, which also sits for a two-year term, concurrent with the other constitutional officers of Maine. The incumbent secretary of state is Shenna Bellows, who took office on January 4th 2021.

Duties

The secretary of state oversees three distinct areas within their department. These coincide with the three bureaus under their aegis: the Maine Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions, Maine State Archives and Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

Corporations, elections, and commissions

The secretary of state has oversight over the conduct of elections, petition filing, and state-wide

ballot initiatives In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular initiative or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters can force a government to choose either to enact a law or hold a pu ...

. They are responsible for applying campaign conduct law against

candidates A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example: * to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs. * t ...

for office. The secretary reviews

petitions A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some offic ...

to verify authenticity of signatures for ballot initiatives under the Maine Constitution. The secretary of state also oversees and applies the state's corporation law. Corporations seeking to be chartered in Maine do so through the secretary's office. The secretary has oversight over Maine's commercial law and application of the

Uniform Commercial Code The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), first published in 1952, is one of a number of Uniform Acts that have been established as law with the goal of harmonizing the laws of sales and other commercial transactions across the United States through U ...

. The secretary's office appoints and regulates the state's notaries public.{{Cite web, url=https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/index.html, title=Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions, website=www.maine.gov, access-date=2020-04-29

State archives

The secretary maintains laws passed in the state and all records of the

legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...

, state agencies, election returns, vital statistics, county court rulings, and Supreme Judicial Court rulings and proceedings.

Motor vehicles

The secretary oversees the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles and is thus responsible for overseeing identification, motor vehicle registration, vehicle inspections, and other forms of licensing.

List of secretaries of state

{{ClearThe following officials have served as secretary of state of Maine:{{Cite web, url=https://legislature.maine.gov/lawlibrary/maine-secretaries-of-state-1820/9252/, title=Maine Secretaries of State, 1820 - {{! Maine State Legislature, website=legislature.maine.gov, access-date=2020-04-29{{Cite book, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Te9BAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA132, title=Maine Register, State Year-book and Legislative Manual, date=1918, publisher=Tower Publishing Company, language=en {, class="wikitable" ! width="7%" , Tenure ! width="20%" , Secretary of State ! width="15%" , Hometown ! width="15%" , Party ! Notes , - {{Party shading/Democratic-Republican , 1820–1821 , Ashur Ware ,

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, Democratic-Republican , , - {{Party shading/Democratic-Republican , 1822–1828 , Amos Nichols , Augusta , Democratic-Republican , , - {{Party shading/National Republican , 1829–1830 , Edward Russell , North Yarmouth , National Republican , , - {{Party shading/Democratic , 1831–1834 ,

Roscoe Greene Roscoe, also spelled Rosco or Roscow, may refer to: People * Roscoe (name) Places United States * Roscoe, California (disambiguation) *Roscoe Township (disambiguation) * Roscoe, Georgia, an unincorporated community *Roscoe, Illinois, a village * ...

, Democratic , , - {{Party shading/Democratic , 1835–1837 ,

Asaph Nichols Asaph (Hebrew: אָסַף) is an ancient name that means "God has gathered" and may refer to: * Asaph (biblical figure), the name of several Biblical figures **Psalms of Asaph * Asaph the Jew, sixth-century Jewish physician, author of: **''Book o ...

, Augusta , Democratic , , - {{Party shading/Whig , 1838 , Samuel P. Benson , Winthrop , Whig , , - {{Party shading/Democratic , 1839 ,

, Augusta , Democratic , , - {{Party shading/Democratic , 1840 , Philip C. Johnson , Augusta , Democratic , , - {{Party shading/Democratic , 1841 , Samuel P. Benson , Winthrop , Democratic , , - {{Party shading/Democratic , 1842–1844 , Philip C. Johnson , Augusta , Democratic , , - {{Party shading/Democratic , 1845 , William B. Hartwell , Augusta , Democratic , , - {{Party shading/Democratic , 1846–1849 , Ezra B. French , Damariscotta , Democratic , , - {{Party shading/Democratic , 1850–1853 , John G. Sawyer , Augusta , Democratic , , - {{Party shading/Whig , 1854–1855 , Alden Jackson , Augusta , Whig , , - {{Party shading/Democratic , 1856 , Caleb Ayer , Cornish , Democratic , , - {{Party shading/Democratic , 1857 , Alden Jackson , Augusta , Democratic , , - {{Party shading/Republican , 1858–1860 , Noah Smith, Jr. , Calais , Republican , , - {{Party shading/Republican , 1861–1863 , Joseph B. Hall , Presque Isle , Republican , , - {{Party shading/Republican , 1864–1867 , Ephraim Flint, Jr. , Dover , Republican , , - {{Party shading/Republican , 1868–1871 , Franklin M. Drew , Brunswick , Republican , , - {{Party shading/Republican , 1872–1874 , George B. Stacy , Richmond , Republican , Resigned , - {{Party shading/Republican , 1875 , Sidney Perham ,

Paris, Maine Paris is a town in and the county seat of Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,179 at the 2020 census. The census-designated place of South Paris is located within the town. Because the U.S. Post Office refers to the entire ...

, Republican , Previously served as governor. , - {{Party shading/Democratic , 1876–1878 , S.J. Chadbourne , Dixmont , Democratic , , - {{Party shading/Greenback , 1879 , Edward H. Gove ,

Biddeford Biddeford is a city in York County, Maine, United States. It is the principal commercial center of York County. Its population was 22,552 at the 2020 census. The twin cities of Saco and Biddeford include the resort communities of Biddeford Poo ...

, Greenback , , - {{Party shading/Republican , 1880 , S.J. Chadbourne , Augusta , Republican , , - {{Party shading/Republican , 1881–1884 , Joseph O. Smith , Augusta , Republican , , - {{Party shading/Republican , 1885–1890 ,

Ormandel Smith Ormandel Smith also spelled Ormandal Smith (December 2, 1842 – May 21, 1915) was an American politician from Maine. Smith, a Republican, served multiple posts in Maine state government from his election to the Maine House of Representatives in ...

, Litchfield , Republican , , - {{Party shading/Republican , 1891–1896 ,

Nicholas Fessenden Nicholas Fessenden (November 23, 1847 – December 18, 1927) was a US attorney and politician who served from 1891 to 1896 as Secretary of State of Maine. Life Nicholas Fessenden was born in Saco, Maine, the son of Hewett Chandler Fessenden (1 ...

, Fort Fairfield , Republican , , - {{Party shading/Republican , 1897–1906 , Byron Boyd , Augusta , Republican , , - {{Party shading/Republican , 1907–1910 , Arthur I. Brown ,

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

, Republican , , - {{Party shading/Democratic , 1911–1912 , Cyrus W. Davis , Waterville , Democrat , , - {{Party shading/Republican , 1913–1914 , Joseph E. Alexander , Richmond , Republican , , - {{Party shading/Democratic , 1915–1916 , John E. Bunker , Eden , Democrat , , - {{Party shading/Republican , 1917–1926 , Frank W. Ball , Dover , Republican , , - {{Party shading/Republican , 1927–1932 , Edgar C. Smith , Augusta , Republican , , - {{Party shading/Republican , 1933–1934 , Robinson C. Tobey , Augusta , Republican , , - {{Party shading/Republican , 1935–1936 , Lewis O. Barrows , Newport , Republican , , - {{Party shading/Republican , 1937–1941 , Frederick Robie , Gorham , Republican , , - {{Party shading/Republican , 1942–1960 , Harold I. Goss , Gardiner , Republican , Longest-serving Maine Secretary of State , - {{Party shading/Republican , 1961–1964 , Paul A. MacDonald , Coopers Mills , Republican , , - {{Party shading/Democratic , 1965–1966 ,

Kenneth M. Curtis Kenneth Merwin Curtis (born February 8, 1931) is an American attorney, Democratic politician, and diplomat. He was the Maine Secretary of State from 1965-1966, the Governor of Maine from 1966-1974, and the United States Ambassador to Canada f ...

Cape Elizabeth Cape Elizabeth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The town is part of the Portland– South Portland–Biddeford, Maine, metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 census, Cape Elizabeth had a population of 9,535. ...

, Democratic , , - {{Party shading/Republican , 1967–1974 , Joseph T. Edgar , Farmingdale , Republican , , - {{Party shading/Democratic , 1975–1978 , Markham L. Gartley , Greenville , Democratic , Ran unsuccessfully for

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

against

Olympia Snowe Olympia Jean Snowe (; born February 21, 1947) is an American businesswoman and politician who was a United States Senator from Maine from 1995 to 2013. Snowe, a member of the Republican Party, became known for her ability to influence the outcom ...

in 1978. , - {{Party shading/Democratic , 1979–1988 , Rodney S. Quinn , Augusta , Democratic , , - {{Party shading/Democratic , 1989–1996 ,

William Diamond G. William Diamond (born 1945) is an American Democratic politician, educator, small business owner, legislator and former Maine Secretary of State. Diamond currently serves in the Maine Senate representing Senate District 26, which comprises ...

, Windham , Democratic , , - {{Party shading/Democratic , 1997–2004 , Dan Gwadosky , Fairfield , Democratic , , - {{Party shading/Democratic , 2005–2010 ,

Matthew Dunlap Matthew Dunlap (born November 26, 1964) is an American politician from Maine who is the Maine State Auditor.. A Democrat, Dunlap served as Secretary of State of Maine from January 7, 2013, to January 4, 2021, and previously served in that same ...

, Old Town , Democratic , , - {{Party shading/Republican , 2011–2012 , Charlie Summers ,

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

, Republican , , - {{Party shading/Democratic , 2013–2021 ,

, Old Town , Democratic , , - {{Party shading/Democratic , 2021–present , Shenna Bellows ,

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, Democratic , Incumbent, First woman to serve as Secretary of State

References