Secretary of State of Alabama

The secretary of state of Alabama is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Alabama. The office actually predates the statehood of Alabama, dating back to the Alabama Territory.[1] From 1819 to 1901,[1] the secretary of state served a two-year term until the State Constitution was changed to set the term to four years. Up until 1868 the secretary of state was elected by the Alabama Legislature, but is now popularly elected.[1] The terms and over 1,000 duties of the office are defined by Sections 114, 118, 132, and 134 of the Alabama Constitution and throughout the Code of Alabama.[2]

Secretary of State of Alabama
Incumbent
Wes Allen
since January 16, 2023
TypeSecretary of State
Term length4 years
Constituting instrumentSections 114, 118, 132, and 134 of the Alabama Constitution and throughout The Code of Alabama
Formation1818
First holderHenry Hitchcock
Websitewww.sos.alabama.gov

The secretary of state must be at least 25 years old, a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, an Alabama state resident for at least five years, and a registered voter. The secretary of state and governor are on the same election cycle, and may only serve two consecutive terms; to hold the office for more terms, the office must be vacated for at least one term. The governor may appoint a replacement secretary of state in the case of resignation or death.

History

The Alabama Territory maintained an office of territorial secretary beginning in 1818.[3] In 1819, Alabama became a state, and the position of secretary of state became a legislatively-appointed office with the incumbent subject to a term of two years. In 1868, the office became popularly-elective. In 1901, Alabama adopted a new constitution which extended the term of office to four years.[4]

Duties and responsibilities

The office of secretary of state maintains several official state records including copies of state laws, gubernatorial orders, and incorporations, and is responsible for authenticating official copies of some documents. They are the keeper of the Great Seal of the State of Alabama, which is used in the authentication process. The secretary is also ex officio "Chief State Elections Official" for all federal, state, special, and constitutional electoral contests.[3]

Organization

The secretary of state's office retains a staff of about 40 people.[3] It is organized as follows:

  • The Executive Division administers the day-to-day operations of the secretary of state's office and also maintains the notaries public database and Civil Law Notaries.
  • The Business Services Division of the secretary of state's office is divided into two sections: Business Entities, which operates as a depository for records of domestic entities and foreign entities that have qualified to transact business in Alabama, and Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), which operates a filing and retrieval center for UCC financing statements at the state level.
  • The Elections Division administers elections and campaign finance laws, including the preparation of ballots and implementation of state and federal election laws (such as the Help America Vote Act).
  • The Government Support/Authentications & Trademarks Division maintains the distribution of the Acts of Alabama, preserves the use of the state seal, licenses Athlete Agents, oversees trademarking, and authenticates documents with either an apostille or certification.
  • The Government Records Section is responsible for maintenance of legislative and other government records, including land titles. The state holds land titles going back to the date of statehood.
  • The Finance Division works with the Executive Division to discuss budgets and handle transactions with state vendors.
  • The Information Technology (IT) Division maintains the office's network security and runs the live Elections Night Reporting system during Alabama elections.

The Alabama secretary of state's website also contains a public organizational chart that features a more in-depth depiction of each division and the titles of each staff member therein.

Officeholders

The current secretary of state is Republican Wes Allen from Pike County. Allen was elected secretary of state in November 2022, after serving one term in the Alabama House of Representatives from 2018 to 2022. Allen took office on January 16, 2023, succeeding John Merrill, who was first elected in 2014 and served from 2015 to 2023.

From 1944 to 1979, the office was held by five different women, the first of whom was Sibyl Pool. Agnes Baggett was the longest serving secretary of state, having been elected to three non-consecutive terms.

The parties are as follows:   Democratic (D) and   Republican (R), or   Party Not Known.

Alabama secretaries of state
#ImageNameTermParty
1 Henry Hitchcock 18181819
2 Thomas A. Rodgers 18191821
3 James J. Pleasants 18211824
4 James I. Thornton 18241834
5 Edmund A. Webster 18341836
6 Thomas B. Tunstall 18361840
7 William Garrett 18401852 Democrat
8 Vincent M. Benham 18521856 Democrat
9 James H. Weaver 18561860
10 Patrick Henry Brittan 18601865 Democrat
11 Albert Stanhope Elmore1 1865
12 David D. Dalton 18651867 Democrat
13 Micah Taul 18671868 Democrat
14 Charles A. Miller 18681870 Republican
15 Jabez J. Parker 18701872 Democrat
16 Patrick Ragland 18721873 Republican
17 Neander H. Rice 18731874 Republican
18 Rufus King Boyd 18741878 Democrat
19 William W. Screws 18781882 Democrat
20 Ellis Phelan 18821885 Democrat
21 Charles C. Langdon 18851890 Democrat
22 Joseph D. Barron 18901894 Democrat
23 James K. Jackson 18941898 Democrat
24 Robert P. McDavid 18981903 Democrat
25 James Thomas Heflin 19031904 Democrat
26 Edmund R. McDavid 19041907 Democrat
27 Frank N. Julian 19071910 Democrat
28 Cyrus B. Brown 19101915 Democrat
29 John Purifoy 19151919 Democrat
30 William Peyton Cobb 19191923 Democrat
31 Sidney Herbert Blan 19231927 Democrat
32 John Marvin Brandon 19271931 Democrat
33 Pete Jarman 19311935 Democrat
34 David Howell Turner 19351939 Democrat
35 John Marvin Brandon 19391943 Democrat
36 David Howell Turner 19431944 Democrat
37 Sibyl Pool 19441951 Democrat
38 Agnes Baggett 19511955 Democrat
39 Mary Texas Hurt Garner 19551959 Democrat
40 Bettye Frink 19591963 Democrat
41 Agnes Baggett 19631967 Democrat
42 Mabel Sanders Amos 19671975 Democrat
43 Agnes Baggett 19751979 Democrat
44 Don Siegelman 19791987 Democrat
45 Glen Browder 19871989 Democrat
46 Fred Crawford 19891989 Republican
47 Perry Hand 19891991 Republican
48 Billy Joe Camp 19911993 Democrat
49 Jim Bennett 19931998 Democrat
49 Jim Bennett2 19982003 Republican
50 Nancy Worley 20032007 Democratic
51 Beth Chapman 20072013 Republican
52 Jim Bennett 20132015 Republican
53 John Merrill 20152023 Republican
54 Wes Allen 2023present Republican

Notes:

  1. First native-born Alabamian to serve as Secretary of State.
  2. Switched to Republican Party in 1998.


References

  1. "Official Homepage of the Alabama Secretary of State". Alabama Secretary of State. 15 Oct 2009. Retrieved 15 Oct 2009.
  2. Code of Alabama 1975. The Alabama Legislature. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  3. Browder, Glen (May 19, 2008). "Office of the Secretary of State". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Alabama Humanities Alliance. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  4. "History". Alabama Secretary of State. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
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