Secretary of State of Washington


The Secretary of State of Washington is one of the elected constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Washington. The duties of the office are specified in Article III, Section 17 of the Washington State Constitution and Chapter 43.07 of the Revised Code of Washington. The Secretary of State is second in the line of succession to the office of Governor of Washington. There have been 15 Secretaries of State since Washington became a state.
The current Secretary of State is Kim Wyman.

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.

Duties

Keeper of the Seal

The Secretary of State is the keeper of the Seal of Washington, and is responsible for regulating its use, affixing it to commissions, pardons, and other documents to which the signature of the Governor is required, and filing and attesting to official acts of the Legislature and Governor.
The secretary has additional duties related to the curating of state heraldry, honors, and regalia. He or she is an ex officio non-voting member of the committees for the Washington Medal of Valor and the Washington Medal of Merit, and is responsible for regulating the use of the Washington State Flag.

Elections Oversight

The office of the secretary is, generally, responsible for oversight of elections, principally by accrediting the balloting procedures used by each county, certifying the results of elections, verifying petition signatures used to qualify initiatives and referenda, and distributing the state voter's pamphlet and official notice of elections advertisements.

Registrar of Corporations

The Corporations Division of the Office of the Secretary of State is responsible for registering limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, corporations, and limited liability companies. The Secretary also regulates charities and charitable trusts, including registering individuals, organizations and commercial fundraisers involved in charitable solicitations.

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, management of the Washington State Library and Washington State Archives, and chairing the Washington State Productivity Board.

List of Washington Secretaries of State

The State of Washington has had a total of fifteen Secretaries of State:
#NameTermParty
11890–1893Republican
21893–1897Republican
31897–1901Populist
41901–1909Republican
51909–1920Republican
61920–1933Republican
71933–1938Democratic
81938–1948Democratic
91948–1957Democratic
101957–1965Democratic
111965–1975Republican
121975–1981Republican
131981–2001Republican
142001–2013Republican
152013–presentRepublican