Missouri Secretary of State

Missouri Secretary of State
General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$110,440
2023 FY Budget:	$77,685,660
Term limits:	None
Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Missouri Constitution, Article IV, Section 14 the Executive Department
Selection Method:	Elected
Current Officeholder
Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft Republican Party Assumed office: January 9, 2017
Elections
Next election:	November 7, 2028
Last election:	November 5, 2024
Other Missouri Executive Offices
Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Commissioner of Education • Agriculture Director • Insurance Director • Natural Resources Director • Labor Director • Public Service Commission

The Secretary of State for Missouri is a member of the executive branch of government and has constitutional as well as statutory duties in the state of Missouri. The secretary of state keeps a register of the official acts of the governor, is the custodian of the seal of the state and maintains state records and documents. The secretary is elected every four years.

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

Current officeholder

The current secretary of state is Republican Jay Ashcroft. Ashcroft was first elected on November 8, 2016, and sworn into office on January 9, 2017.

Authority

The state Constitution addresses the office of secretary of state in Article IV, the Executive Department.

Under Article IV, Section 14:

The secretary of state shall be custodian of the seal of the state, and authenticate therewith all official acts of the governor except the approval of laws...

Qualifications

Here is a list of the standard qualifications necessary under Missouri State Law in order to be considered for the office of secretary of state:

“

Citizen of the United States Resident of the state 1 year next preceding election Is not delinquent in the payment of any state income taxes, personal property taxes, municipal taxes, real property taxes on the place of residence as stated in the declaration of candidacy Is not a past or present corporate officer of any fee office that owes any taxes to the state Has not been found guilty of or pled guilty to a felony under the federal laws of the United States of America Has not been found guilty of or pled guilty to a felony under the laws of this state or an offense committed in another state that would be considered a felony in this state In addition to any other penalties provided by law, no person may file for any office in a subsequent election until he or the treasurer of his existing candidate committee has filed all required campaign disclosure reports for all prior elections.

”

Elections

Missouri state government organizational chart

See also: States with gubernatorial term limits, State legislatures with term limits

The office of secretary of state is an elected position with elections held every four years. Elections are held with presidential elections. There are no term limits for this office.

2024

See also: Missouri Secretary of State election, 2024

General election

General election for Missouri Secretary of State

Denny Hoskins defeated Barbara Phifer, Carl Herman Freese, and Jerome H. Bauer in the general election for Missouri Secretary of State on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Denny Hoskins (R)	57.7	1,665,560
		Barbara Phifer (D)	39.6	1,145,051
		Carl Herman Freese (L)	1.7	48,783
		Jerome H. Bauer (G)	1.0	28,706

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 2,888,100
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Missouri Secretary of State

Barbara Phifer defeated Monique Williams and Haley Jacobson in the Democratic primary for Missouri Secretary of State on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Barbara Phifer	40.9	146,562
		Monique Williams	34.4	123,386
		Haley Jacobson	24.7	88,670

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 358,618
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Missouri Secretary of State

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Missouri Secretary of State on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Denny Hoskins	24.4	157,284
		Shane Schoeller	16.8	108,435
		Mike Carter	14.3	91,956
		Dean Plocher	13.5	86,757
		Mary Coleman	11.3	73,024
		Valentina Gomez	7.5	48,003
		Jamie Corley	7.2	46,383
		Adam Schwadron	5.0	32,388

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 644,230
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Caleb Rowden (R)

Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for Missouri Secretary of State

Carl Herman Freese advanced from the Libertarian primary for Missouri Secretary of State on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Carl Herman Freese	100.0	2,412

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,412
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2020

See also: Missouri Secretary of State election, 2020

General election

General election for Missouri Secretary of State

Incumbent Jay Ashcroft defeated Yinka Faleti, Carl Herman Freese, Paul Lehmann, and Paul Venable in the general election for Missouri Secretary of State on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jay Ashcroft (R)	60.5	1,798,505
		Yinka Faleti (D)	36.4	1,081,113
		Carl Herman Freese (L)	1.9	55,583
		Paul Lehmann (G)	0.8	24,131
		Paul Venable (Constitution Party)	0.4	13,151

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,972,483
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Missouri Secretary of State

Yinka Faleti advanced from the Democratic primary for Missouri Secretary of State on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Yinka Faleti	100.0	470,955

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 470,955
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Missouri Secretary of State

Incumbent Jay Ashcroft advanced from the Republican primary for Missouri Secretary of State on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jay Ashcroft	100.0	620,822

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 620,822
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Dale Manzo (R)

Constitution primary election

Constitution primary for Missouri Secretary of State

Paul Venable advanced from the Constitution primary for Missouri Secretary of State on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Paul Venable	100.0	573

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 573
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Green primary election

Green primary for Missouri Secretary of State

Paul Lehmann advanced from the Green primary for Missouri Secretary of State on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Paul Lehmann	100.0	860

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 860
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for Missouri Secretary of State

Carl Herman Freese advanced from the Libertarian primary for Missouri Secretary of State on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Carl Herman Freese	100.0	4,074

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,074
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2016

See also: Missouri Secretary of State election, 2016

The general election for secretary of state was held on November 8, 2016.

Jay Ashcroft defeated Robin Smith and Chris Morrill in the Missouri secretary of state election.

Missouri Secretary of State, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Jay Ashcroft	57.62%	1,591,086
	Democratic	Robin Smith	38.45%	1,061,788
	Libertarian	Chris Morrill	3.93%	108,568
Total Votes				2,761,442
Source: Missouri Secretary of State

2012

See also: Missouri secretary of state election, 2012

Incumbent Robin Carnahan (D) did not run for re-election in 2012. Jason Kander (D) defeated Shane Schoeller (R) for the open seat in the general election on November 6, 2012.

• 2012 General Election for Missouri Secretary of State

Missouri Secretary of State General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jason Kander	48.9%	1,298,022
	Republican	Shane Schoeller	47.4%	1,258,937
	Libertarian	Cisse Spragins	2.7%	70,814
	Constitution	Justin Harter	1%	27,710
Total Votes				2,655,483
Election results via Missouri Secretary of State

2008

• 2008 Race for Secretary of State - Democratic Primary

• Robin Carnahan ran unopposed in this contest

2008 Race for Secretary of State - General Election
Party		Candidate	Vote Percentage
	Democratic Party	a Robin Carnahan	61.8%
	Republican Party	Mitchell Hubbard	35.6%
	Libertarian Party	Wes Upchurch	1.4%
	Constitution Party	Denise C. Neely	1.2%
Total Votes			2,829,810

2004

• 2004 Race for Secretary of State - Democratic Primary

• Robin Carnahan ran unopposed in this contest

2004 Race for Secretary of State - General Election
Party		Candidate	Vote Percentage
	Democratic Party	a Robin Carnahan	51.1%
	Republican Party	Catherine Hanaway	46.4%
	Libertarian Party	Christopher Davis	1.9%
	Constitution Party	Donna Ivanovich	0.6%
Total Votes			2,678,326

Vacancies

Article IV, Section 4 of the Missouri Constitution gives the governor authority to fill vacancies in the office:

The governor shall fill all vacancies in public offices unless otherwise provided by law, and his appointees shall serve until their successors are duly elected or appointed and qualified.

Duties

Article IV, Section 14 of the state Constitution outlines the duties of the secretary of state. These duties include maintaining a record of the governor's official actions and authenticating those actions with the state seal unless the action is the approval of a law.

Divisions

As of January 26, 2021, the secretary's office contained the following divisions:

• Business Services: annual reports, small business advocacy, and business registration
• State Archives
• Elections: voting information and procedures, election results and statistics, Help America Vote Act (HAVA), and registration of candidates
• Securities: filing complaints, smart investing, registration, and enforcement of regulations
• State Library
• Records and Archives: tracking of state documents, the state seal, voting rosters and manuals.
• Administrative Rules: publishing administrative rules and regulations
• Publication: printing and graphic arts

Role in the initiative process

Drafting of the ballot

In order for a ballot to gain approval in the state of Missouri, a petitioner must submit a sample petition, at which time the petitioner will receive a receipt. According to the guidelines of the state, the text for the ballot is then sent to the state attorney general to be check for the initiative's legality and format.

Within 10 days the initiative will be returned to the secretary of state's office. The secretary of state will evaluate the attorney general's comments as to the format of the petition and choose to reject or approve it. Under this final appraisal a letter is sent out to the petitioner alerting them of the secretary of state's decision.

If the initiative was approved then a summary statement is prepared and sent to the attorney general within 10 days. The attorney general will then check the summary for its legality and format before returning it to the secretary of state, again within 10 days. The secretary of state then has three days to certify the ballot title and send a copy of the title, summary and fiscal note to the petitioner.

The information about the ballot will be posted on the secretary of state website.

Submitting the ballot

Petitions must be submitted to the secretary of state within six months of the general elections.

Petitioners must turn in the paperwork showing the number of pages per county, circulator's reports, and contact information. Within 20 days of receiving this information the secretary of state shall prepare and send fair ballot language statements that explain what a vote for or against a measure would represent. The attorney general then will double check the summary for legality and form and return in to the secretary of state within 10 days.

Signature verification

Signatures are verified by the local election authority. Time for the delivery of signatures to each election authority varies on the number of petitions filed with the secretary of state.

• At least one petition: signatures must be in local offices no later than two weeks after being filed with the secretary of state.
• Total of three petitions: signatures must be in local offices no later than three weeks from being filed.
• More than three petitions: signatures must be in local offices no later than the fourth week after being filed.

When the local election authority receives the signatures, the signatures will be verified by either choosing a random sampling or verifying the authentication of every signature. All verified signatures must be certified and delivered to the Secretary of State by 5:00pm on the last Tuesday in July prior to the election.

If the ballot is determined to be sufficient, the secretary of state will issue a certificate stating that it will be on the ballot, other wise there will be a statement giving the reasons for the insufficiency.

The secretary of state has until 5:00 pm on the 13th Tuesday prior to the general election to certify the petition.

State budget

See also: Missouri state budget and finances

The secretary of state's budget for Fiscal Year 2023 was $77,685,660.

Compensation

The secretary of state's salary is set by law and cannot be increased or reduced during their term. Section 3, Article XIII of the Missouri Constitution created a Citizens’ Commission on Compensation for Elected Officials, which sets the compensation of elected government officials. The 21-member commission meets every two years, and is not to be comprised of employees of the state or any of its institutions nor immediate family members of any person ineligible to serve on the council.

Article IV, Section 21 of the Missouri Constitution addresses compensation of executive officials:

The officers named in this article shall receive for their services salaries fixed by law, which shall not be increased or diminished during their terms.

2022

In 2022, the officer's salary was $110,440, according to the Council of State Governments.

2021

In 2021, the secretary of state received a salary of $107,746, according to the Council of State Governments.

2020

In 2020, the secretary of state received a salary of $107,746, according to the Council of State Governments.

2019

In 2019, the secretary of state received a salary of $107,746, according to the Council of State Governments.

2018

In 2018, the secretary of state received a salary of $107,746, according to the Council of State Governments.

2017

In 2017, the secretary of state received a salary of $107,746, according to the Council of State Governments.

2016

In 2016, the secretary of state received a salary of $107,746, according to the Council of State Governments.

2015

In 2015, the secretary of state received a salary of $107,746, according to the Council of State Governments.

2014

In 2014, the secretary of state earned a salary of $107,746, according to the Council of State Governments.

2013

In 2013, the secretary of state earned a salary of $107,746, according to the Council of State Governments.

2010

In 2010, the secretary of state earned a salary of $107,746, according to the Council of State Governments.

Historical officeholders

Since 1820, Missouri has had 39 secretaries of state. Of those 38, 31 have been Democrats, seven Republicans, and one Union.

Number	Name	Took office	Left office	Party
1	Joshua Barton	1820	1821	Democratic
2	William Grymes Pettus	1821	1824	Democratic
3	Hamilton Rowan Gamble	1824	1826	Democratic
4	Spencer Darwin Pettis	1826	1828	Democratic
5	Priestly Haggin McBride	1829	1830	Democratic
6	John Cummins Edwards	1830	1835	Democratic
7	Henry Shurlds	1835	1837	Democratic
8	John Cummins Edwards	1837	1837	Democratic
9	Peter Garland Glover	1837	1839	Democratic
10	James Lawrence Minor	1839	1845	Democratic
11	Faulkland Heard Martin	1845	1849	Democratic
12	Ephriam Brevard Ewing	1849	1853	Democratic
13	John M. Richardson	1853	1857	Democratic
14	Benjamin Franklin Massey	1857	1861	Democratic
15	Mordecai Oliver	1861	1865	Union
16	Francis A. Rodman	1865	1871	Republican
17	Eugene F. Weigel	1871	1875	Democratic
18	Michael Knowles McGrath	1875	1889	Democratic
19	Alexander A. Lesueur	1889	1901	Democratic
20	Sam Baker Cook	1901	1905	Democratic
21	John Ephriam Swanger	1905	1909	Republican
22	Cornelius Roach	1909	1917	Democratic
23	John Leo Sullivan	1917	1921	Democratic
24	Charles U. Becker	1921	1933	Republican
25	Dwight H. Brown	1933	1944	Democratic
26	Gregory C. Stockard	1944	1945	Republican
27	Wilson Bell	1945	1947	Democratic
28	Edgar C. Nelson	1947	1949	Democratic
29	Walter H. Toberman	1949	1960	Democratic
30	Robert W. Crawford	1960	1961	Democratic
31	Warren E. Hearnes	1961	1965	Democratic
32	James C. Kirkpatrick	1965	1985	Democratic
33	Roy D. Blunt	1985	1993	Republican
34	Judith K. Moriarty	1993	1994	Democratic
35	Richard Hanson	1994	1994	Democratic
36	Rebecca McDowell Cook	1994	2001	Democratic
37	Matt Blunt	2001	2005	Republican
38	Robin Carnahan	2005	2013	Democratic
39	Jason Kander	2013	2017	Democratic
40	Jay Ashcroft	2017	Present	Republican

Recent news

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Missouri Secretary of State - Google News

Contact information

Capitol Address:

Office of the Secretary of State
State Information Center
600 West Main
Jefferson City, MO 65101

Phone: (573) 751-4936
E-mail: [email protected]

External links

Suggest a link

• Office of the Missouri Secretary of State
• Missouri Secretary of State Election website