Indiana Secretary of State

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Indiana Secretary of State

Seal of Indiana.png

General information
Office Type:  Partisan
Office website:  Official Link
Compensation:  $91,707
2025 FY Budget:  $22,328,385
Term limits:  Eight out of 12 years
Structure
Length of term:   4 years
Selection Method:  Elected
Current Officeholder

Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales
Republican Party
Assumed office: January 1, 2023

Elections
Next election:  November 3, 2026
Last election:  November 8, 2022
Other Indiana Executive Offices
GovernorLieutenant GovernorSecretary of StateAttorney GeneralTreasurerComptrollerExaminerSecretary of EducationAgriculture DirectorInsurance CommissionerNatural Resources DirectorLabor CommissionerUtility Regulatory Commission

The Secretary of State for Indiana is one of five statewide, elected constitutional officers created by Indiana's Constitution. The secretary is responsible for "maintenance of state records and preservation of the state seal." They also charter new businesses, regulates the securities industry within Indiana, runs state elections and provides a number of services to the state's automobile dealers.[1]


Indiana has a Republican triplex. The Republican Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.

Current officeholder

The current Indiana Secretary of State is Diego Morales (R). Morales assumed office in 2023.

Authority

The Indiana Secretary of State's powers, term of office, etc. are derived from Article VI of the Indiana Constitution.

Article 6, Section 1:

There shall be elected, by the voters of the state, a Secretary, an Auditor and a Treasurer of State...

Qualifications

Candidates for secretary of state, as with all Indiana state and local offices, must be registered to vote. He or she must also file a "statement of economic interest" regarding any possible financial interests a candidate may have in the office. Additionally, there are a variety of factors that can disqualify a potential candidate for secretary of state, including:[2]

  • Offering a bribe, threat or reward to procure their own election.
  • Having been convicted of a felon.
  • Having been previously removed from office.
  • Being a member of the U.S. armed forces

Elections

Indiana state government organizational chart

Secretaries of state are elected to four-year terms during federal midterm election years (2022, 2026, 2030, etc.) and take office on January 1 in the year following their election.[3] Elections occur on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.[4]

2022

See also: Indiana Secretary of State election, 2022

General election

General election for Indiana Secretary of State

Diego Morales defeated Destiny Scott Wells, Jeff Maurer, David Wetterer, and Andrew Straw in the general election for Indiana Secretary of State on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Diego Morales
Diego Morales (R)
 
54.1
 
999,893
Image of Destiny Scott Wells
Destiny Scott Wells (D) Candidate Connection
 
40.2
 
742,624
Image of Jeff Maurer
Jeff Maurer (L) Candidate Connection
 
5.7
 
104,519
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
David Wetterer (G) (Write-in) Candidate Connection
 
0.0
 
107
Image of Andrew Straw
Andrew Straw (Disability Party) (Write-in) Candidate Connection
 
0.0
 
36

Total votes: 1,847,179
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Indiana Secretary of State

Destiny Scott Wells advanced from the Democratic convention for Indiana Secretary of State on June 18, 2022.

Candidate
Image of Destiny Scott Wells
Destiny Scott Wells (D) Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican convention

Republican convention for Indiana Secretary of State

Diego Morales defeated incumbent Holli Sullivan and David Shelton in the Republican convention for Indiana Secretary of State on June 18, 2022.

Candidate
Image of Holli Sullivan
Holli Sullivan (R)
Image of Diego Morales
Diego Morales (R)
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
David Shelton (R) Candidate Connection

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Indiana Secretary of State

Jeff Maurer advanced from the Libertarian convention for Indiana Secretary of State on March 5, 2022.

Candidate
Image of Jeff Maurer
Jeff Maurer (L) Candidate Connection

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2018

See also: Indiana Secretary of State election, 2018

General election

General election for Indiana Secretary of State

Incumbent Connie Lawson defeated Jim Harper and Mark Rutherford in the general election for Indiana Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Connie Lawson
Connie Lawson (R)
 
56.2
 
1,263,074
Image of Jim Harper
Jim Harper (D)
 
40.6
 
911,546
Image of Mark Rutherford
Mark Rutherford (L)
 
3.2
 
71,234
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
905

Total votes: 2,246,759
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2014

See also: Indiana secretary of state election, 2014
Secretary of state of Indiana, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngConnie Lawson Incumbent 57.1% 762,223
     Democratic Beth White 39.5% 527,379
     Libertarian Karl Tatgenhorst 3.4% 45,393
Total Votes 1,334,995
Election results via Indiana Secretary of State

Term limits

Term limits for the secretary of state are defined in Article 6, Section 1 of the Indiana Constitution, which prohibits a secretary of state for holding the position for more than eight years in any given 12 year period.

Indiana Constitution, Article 6, Section 1:

There shall be elected, by the voters of the state, a Secretary, an Auditor and a Treasurer of State, who shall, severally, hold their offices for four years. They shall perform such duties as may be enjoined by law; and no person shall be eligible to either of said offices, more than eight years in any period of twelve years.

Vacancies

The governor fills vacancies in the office of secretary of state by appointment; the appointee serves until the next election.[5]

Indiana Constitution, Article 5, Section 18

When, during a recess of the General Assembly, a vacancy shall happen in any office, the appointment to which is vested in the General Assembly; or when, at any time, a vacancy shall have occurred in any other State office, or in the office of Judge of any Court; the Governor shall fill such vacancy, by appointment, which shall expire, when a successor shall have been elected and qualified.

Duties

The secretary is responsible for "maintenance of state records and preservation of the state seal." He or she also charters new businesses, regulates the securities industry within Indiana, runs state elections and provides a number of services to the state's automobile dealers. The secretary of state also provides a variety of educational materials, from guides instructing entrepreneurs how to start a new business to voter and candidate registration information.[6]

Divisions

The Office of the Secretary of State has four divisions:

  • Election Division - responsible for overseeing elections, registering candidates, and monitoring campaign finance.
  • Business Services Division - charters corporations, registers trademarks, notaries public, and liens under the Uniform Commercial Code, and issues apostilles.
  • Securities Division - oversees the state's securities industry, as well as mortgage brokers, retirement facilities, and collection agencies. It is also responsible for administering state and federal securities laws.
  • Dealer Services Division - responsible for the oversight and regulation of motor vehicle dealerships, including dealers for automobiles, watercraft, off-road vehicles and automobile salvage.[7]

State budget

See also: Indiana state budget and finances

The Secretary of State's budget was $22,328,385 for Fiscal Year 2025.[8]

Compensation

See also: Compensation of state executive officers

The salaries of executive officers in Indiana are determined by the Indiana State Legislature. In 2007, the Indiana Senate passed SB 401, which tied annual salary increases to increases received by state employees. State executive officials are not eligible for salary increases if state employees do not receive increases to their salaries.[9]

2022

In 2022, the officer's salary was $91,707, according to the Council of State Governments.[10]

2021

In 2021, the secretary of state received a salary of $89,514, according to the Council of State Governments.[11]

2020

In 2020, the secretary of state received a salary of $86,654, according to the Council of State Governments.[12]

2019

In 2019, the secretary of state received a salary of $82,640, according to the Council of State Governments.[13]

2018

In 2018, the secretary of state received a salary of $82,640, according to the Council of State Governments.[14]

2017

In 2017, the secretary of state received a salary of $81,020, according to the Council of State Governments.[15]

2016

In 2016, the secretary of state received a salary of $78,584, according to the Council of State Governments.[16]

2015

In 2015, the secretary of state received a salary of $76,892, according to the Council of State Governments.[17]

2014

In 2014, the secretary received a salary of $76,892, according to the Council of State Governments.[18]

2013

In 2013, the secretary received a salary of $74,580, according to the Council of State Governments.[19]

2012

In 2012, the secretary received a salary of $72,974, according to the Council of State Governments.

Historical officeholders

There have been 63 secretaries of state since 1816. Of the 63 officeholders, 36 were Republicans and 23 were Democrats.[20]

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Indiana Secretary of State. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Contact information

Indiana

Capitol Address:
Indiana Secretary of State
201 Statehouse
Indianapolis, IN 46204

Phone: (317) 232-6531
Fax: (317) 233-3283

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. Indiana Secrectary of State, "About the office," accessed January 21, 2021
  2. Indiana Code, "IC 3-8-1-1,5,33," accessed January 21, 2021
  3. Justia, "2019 Indiana Code, Title 4. State Offices and Administration, Article 5. Secretary of State, Chapter 1. Secretary of State, 4-5-1-1. Commencement of term; bond," accessed January 25, 2022
  4. Indiana Code, "IC 3-10-2-1," accessed January 21, 2021
  5. Indiana General Assembly, "Indiana Constitution Article 5, Section 18," accessed January 21, 2021
  6. Indiana Secretary of State, "About the office," accessed January 21, 2021
  7. Indiana Secretary of State, "About the office," accessed January 21, 2021
  8. Indiana State Budget Agency, "2023-2025 The Whole Budget Report," accessed December 6, 2023
  9. Indiana General Assembly, "Senate Enrolled Act No. 401," accessed January 21, 2021
  10. Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
  11. Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 22, 2022
  12. Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2020," accessed January 21, 2021
  13. Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2019," accessed January 21, 2021
  14. Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2018," accessed January 21, 2021
  15. Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2017," accessed January 21, 2021
  16. Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016
  17. Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016
  18. Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed November 14, 2014
  19. The Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2013, Table 4.11," accessed February 2, 2014
  20. Indiana State Library, Secretaries of State, accessed January 21, 2021