Ohio Secretary of State

	Ohio Secretary of State
	; ; ;
	General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$124,176
2025 FY Budget:	$45,770,278
Term limits:	Two consecutive terms
	Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Ohio Constitution, Article III, Section 1
Selection Method:	Elected
	Current Officeholder
	Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose; Republican Party; Assumed office: January 12, 2019
	Elections
Next election:	November 3, 2026
Last election:	November 8, 2022
	Other Ohio Executive Offices
	Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Commissioner • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commission

The Ohio Secretary of State is an elected executive position in the Ohio state government. The secretary is the state's chief election officer and keeper of the state seal. They license businesses and corporations and keep records of all official gubernatorial actions.^[1]

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

Current officeholder

The current Ohio Secretary of State is Frank LaRose (R). LaRose assumed office in 2019.

Authority

The state Constitution establishes the office of the secretary of state in Article III, Section 1:

The executive department shall consist of a governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, auditor of state, treasurer of state, and an attorney general, who shall be elected on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, by the electors of the state, and at the places of voting for members of the General Assembly.^[2]

Qualifications

The state Constitution outlines the qualification to hold the office of secretary of state in Article VX, Section 4:

resident of Ohio
a qualified elector
at least 18 years old

No person shall be elected or appointed to any office in this state unless possessed of the qualifications of an elector.^[2]

Vacancies

Article III, Section 18 of the state Constitution addresses vacancies in state offices. In the event of a vacancy, the governor appoints a successor to serve until the next general election in an even-numbered year that occurs more than 40 days after the seat becomes vacant.^[2]

Duties

The duties of the secretary of state in Ohio center on the office's three divisions: elections, business services, and records management. Accordingly, the Secretary of State:^[1]

serves as the state's chief election officer
certifies, publishes, and maintains a record of all official election results
appoints members to the board of elections
registers and keeps a current record of all corporations, partnerships, and limited liability partnerships
issues licenses for and maintains a registry of all notaries public
issues licenses for and maintains a registry of all ministers
maintains an official record of all government actions
helps provide public access to Ohio state government records

Elections

Ohio state government organizational chart

According to Article III, Section 1 of the state Constitution, the secretary of state in Ohio is elected every four years, in mid-term election years. For the secretary of state in Ohio, 2010, 2014, and 2018 are election years.^[2]

Term limits

Term limits for the secretary of state are defined in Article III, Section 2 of the Ohio Constitution, which prohibits secretaries of state from serving more than two consecutive terms.^[2]

Ohio Constitution, Article III, Section 2 (partial):

...No person shall hold any one of the offices of lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer of state, attorney general, or auditor of state for a period longer than two successive terms of four years. Terms shall be considered successive unless separated by a period of four or more years. Only terms beginning on or after January 1, 1995 shall be considered in determining an individual’s eligibility to hold the office of lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer of state, attorney general, or auditor of state. In determining the eligibility of an individual to hold an office in accordance with this article, (A) time spent in an office in fulfillment of a term to which another person was first elected shall not be considered provided that a period of at least four years passed between the time, if any, in which the individual previously held that office, and the time the individual is elected or appointed to fulfill the unexpired term; and (B) a person who is elected to an office in a regularly scheduled general election and resigns prior to the completion of the term for which he or she was elected, shall be considered to have served the full term in that office.

2022

See also: Ohio Secretary of State election, 2022

General election

General election for Ohio Secretary of State

Incumbent Frank LaRose defeated Chelsea Clark and Terpsehore Maras in the general election for Ohio Secretary of State on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Frank LaRose (R)	59.3	2,444,382
	Chelsea Clark (D)	39.7	1,635,824
	Terpsehore Maras (Independent)	1.0	42,753

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,122,959
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Ohio Secretary of State

Chelsea Clark advanced from the Democratic primary for Ohio Secretary of State on May 3, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chelsea Clark	100.0	434,038

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 434,038
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Ohio Secretary of State

Incumbent Frank LaRose defeated John Adams in the Republican primary for Ohio Secretary of State on May 3, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Frank LaRose	64.6	613,378
	John Adams	35.4	335,457

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 948,835
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Terpsehore Maras (R)