Michigan Secretary of State

The Michigan Department of State is administered by the Secretary of State, who is elected on a partisan ballot for a term of four years in gubernatorial elections. The incumbent secretary of state is Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat elected in 2018 and 2022.

Department of State

Department overview
Formed	October 6, 1835 (1835-10-06)
Type	State department
Jurisdiction	State of Michigan
Headquarters	Lansing, Michigan
Department executive	Jocelyn Benson (D), Secretary of State
Key document	Michigan Constitution
Website	www.michigan.gov/sos

The secretary of state is the third-highest official in the State of Michigan. As the name implies, the officeholder was originally responsible for much of state government, but now the duties are similar to those of the other 46 secretaries of states across the United States. If the governor and lieutenant governor are both absent from the state, or the offices are concurrently vacant for some other reason, the secretary of state serves as acting governor.

In Michigan, the secretary of state is not only responsible for elections, but also oversees vehicle registration and the licensing of automobile drivers, similar to a motor vehicles regulator in other states. The officeholder also oversees and regulates notaries public and is the keeper of the Great Seal of Michigan.

Under state law, the secretary of state must have at least one office in each of Michigan's 83 counties.

Department organization

Secretary of State office, Pittsfield Township

Customer Services Administration

The Customer Services Administration (CSA) is divided into the Bureau of Branch Office Services, the Driver and Vehicle Records Division, the Office of Customer Services, the Department of State Information Center, the Program Procedures Section, and the Program Support Section. The Bureau of Branch Office Services operates a network of branch offices providing driver's licensing, vehicle titling and registration, and voter registration services to the citizens of Michigan. The Driver and Vehicle Records Division manages driver and vehicle records maintenance activities. The Office of Customer Services oversees the Renewal-By-Mail and Internet Renewal, as well as the Uniform Commercial Code. The office serves International Registration Plan vehicle owners and Michigan residents who are out of state. The Department of State Information Center is the point of contact for many citizens seeking information about Secretary of State programs and services. The center also oversees driver and vehicle record sales and the distribution of the annual jury listing to Michigan counties.

Department Services Administration

The Department Services Administration (DSA) provides coordination and support to the agency in the areas of administration, finance, technology, project management, human resources, employee development, and occupancy management. The DSA includes the Office of Technology and Project Services, the Office of Human Resources, the Office of Occupancy Services, the Accounting Services Division, the Budget Services Division, and the department's Business Application Modernization initiative.

Legal and Regulatory Services Administration

The Legal and Regulatory Services Administration (LRSA) is divided into the Bureau of Information Security, the Bureau of Regulatory Services, and the Legal Policy and Procedures Section. The LRSA provides research and counsel to the secretary of state on statutes and rules administered.

Election and officeholders

Secretary of State of Michigan
Incumbent Jocelyn Benson since January 1, 2019
Michigan Department of State
Appointer	Popular election
Term length	4 Years, Renewable Once
Inaugural holder	Kintzing Prichette
Formation	1837
Website	www.michigan.gov/sos/

The secretary of state is elected for a four-year term, concurrent with that of the governor. Candidates are nominated at partisan conventions. Under an amendment to the state Constitution which was passed in 1992, the secretary of state is restricted to two four-year terms in that office.

The secretary of state receives the courtesy title of The Honorable for life.

Michigan secretaries of state

#	Image	Officeholder	Term of service	Political party
1		Kintzing Prichette	1835–1838	Democratic
2		Randolph Manning	1838–1840	Democratic
3		Thomas Rowland	1840–1842	Whig
4		Robert P. Eldredge	1842–1846	Democratic
5		Gideon O. Whittemore	1846–1848
6		George W. Peck	1848–1850	Democratic
7		George R. Redfield	1850	Democratic
8		Charles H. Taylor	1850–1852	Democratic
9		William Graves	1853–1855	Democratic
10		John McKinney	1855–1859	Republican
11		Nelson G. Isbell	1859–1861	Republican
12		James B. Porter	1861–1867	Republican
13		Oliver L. Spaulding	1867–1871	Republican
14		Daniel Striker	1871–1875	Republican
15		Ebenezer G. D. Holden	1875–1879	Republican
16		William Jenney	1879–1883	Republican
17		Harry A. Conant	1883–1887	Republican
18		Gilbert R. Osmun	1887–1891	Republican
19		Daniel E. Soper	1891	Democratic
20		Robert R. Blacker	1891–1893	Democratic
21		John W. Jochim	1893–1894	Republican
22		Washington Gardner	1894–1899	Republican
23		Justus Smith Stearns	1899–1901	Republican
24		Fred M. Warner	1901–1905	Republican
25		George A. Prescott	1905–1909	Republican
26		Frederick C. Martindale	1909–1915	Republican
27		Coleman C. Vaughan	1915–1921	Republican
28		Charles J. DeLand	1921–1927	Republican
29		John S. Haggerty	1927–1931	Republican
30		Frank Fitzgerald	1931–1934	Republican
31		Clarke W. Brown	1934	Republican
32		Orville E. Atwood	1935–1937	Republican
33		Leon D. Case	1937–1939	Democratic
34		Harry Kelly	1939–1943	Republican
35		Herman H. Dignan	1943–1946	Republican
36		Frederick M. Alger Jr.	1947–1953	Republican
37		Owen Cleary	1953–1955	Republican
38		James M. Hare	1955–1971	Democratic
39		Richard H. Austin	1971–1995	Democratic
40		Candice Miller	1995–2003	Republican
41		Terri Lynn Land	2003–2011	Republican
42		Ruth Johnson	2011–2019	Republican
43		Jocelyn Benson	2019–present	Democratic

Source: Michigan Manual 2003-2004, Chapter IV, Former Officials of Michigan