Secretary of State elections, 2019
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There were three secretary of state seats on the ballot in 2019. These elections were in Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Republicans won all three races, holding the secretary of state offices in Louisiana and Mississippi and flipping the office in Kentucky.
In 47 states - all except Alaska, Hawaii, and Utah - the secretary of state is among the top executive offices. Although the duties and powers of the secretary of state vary from state to state, a common responsibility is management and oversight of elections and voter rolls, which are assigned to the secretary of state in 41 states. Other common responsibilities include registration of businesses, maintenance of state records, and certification of official documents.
Six states impose some form of term limits on the office of secretary of state.
2019 election results
- See also: Election results, 2019
Kentucky
General election
General election for Kentucky Secretary of State
Michael Adams defeated Heather French Henry in the general election for Kentucky Secretary of State on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Michael Adams (R) | 52.3 | 746,629 |
 | Heather French Henry (D) | 47.7 | 682,096 | |
| Total votes: 1,428,725 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Louisiana
Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.
General election
General election for Louisiana Secretary of State
Incumbent Kyle Ardoin defeated Gwen Collins-Greenup in the general election for Louisiana Secretary of State on November 16, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Kyle Ardoin (R) | 59.1 | 867,607 |
 | Gwen Collins-Greenup (D) | 40.9 | 601,126 | |
| Total votes: 1,468,733 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Mississippi
General election
General election for Mississippi Secretary of State
Michael D. Watson Jr. defeated Johnny DuPree in the general election for Mississippi Secretary of State on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Michael D. Watson Jr. (R) | 58.8 | 511,249 |
 | Johnny DuPree (D) | 41.2 | 357,806 | |
| Total votes: 869,055 | |||
| = 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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Partisan balance
The following chart displays the number of secretary of state offices held by each party as of the 2019 elections and immediately after the elections took place.
| U.S. Secretaries of State Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2019 | After the 2019 elections | |
| Democratic Party | 21 | 20 | |
| Republican Party | 25 | 26 | |
| Independent | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 47 | 47 | |
Election information
| State | Triplex status (before) | Triplex status (after) | Incumbent | Incumbent party | Incumbent ran? | Winner | Margin of victory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | Divided triplex status | Divided triplex status |  Alison Lundergan Grimes |
 Democratic |
No (termed out) |
 Michael Adams |
R+4.6 |
| Louisiana | Divided triplex status | Divided triplex status |  Kyle Ardoin |
 Republican |
Yes | Kyle Ardoin |
R+18.2 |
| Mississippi | Divided triplex status | Republican triplex |  Delbert Hosemann |
Republican |
No (ran for lieutenant governor) |  Michael D. Watson Jr. |
R+18.2 |
Seats that flipped in 2018
- See also: Secretary of State elections, 2018
Twenty-seven states held elections for secretary of state in 2018. That year, Democrats gained control of three secretary of state offices from Republicans. As a result of the 2018 elections, Republicans held 25 secretary of state seats to Democrats' 20.
| Secretary of State offices that changed party control, 2018 elections | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Pre-election control | Post-election control | ||
| Arizona | Michele Reagan |
Katie Hobbs
| ||
| Colorado | Wayne Williams |
Jena Griswold
| ||
| Michigan | Ruth Johnson |
Jocelyn Benson
| ||
Margin of victory analysis
The following table details the margin of victory for winning candidates from the previous three elections in states holding secretary of state elections in 2019. In Kentucky, the 2007 and 2011 elections were decided by margins of 14% or greater, with a Republican candidate winning in 2007 and a Democratic candidate in 2011. The 2015 and 2019 elections were each decided by margins under 5%, with a Democratic victory in 2015 and a Republican win in 2019. In Louisiana and Mississippi, the 2007, 2015, and 2019 elections each resulted in a Republican winning by a margin of 15% or greater. In 2011, Mississippi's secretary of state election was uncontested while Louisiana's was contested between two Republicans.
| Margin of victory analysis, 2007-2019 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | 2019 margin of victory | 2015 margin of victory | 2011 margin of victory | 2007 margin of victory |
| Kentucky | R+4.6 | D+2.4 | D+21.2 | R+14.2 |
| Louisiana | R+18.2 | R+24.4 | R+1.0 | R+32.0 |
| Mississippi | R+18.2 | R+25.8 | R+100.0 | R+16.4 |
Triplexes
State government triplexes describe when one political party holds the following three positions in a state's government: governor, attorney general, and secretary of state.
A state government triplex is defined as one political party holding the offices of governor, attorney general, and secretary of state. In states where these officers are not all from the same party, differing political views often bring them into direct conflict with one another.
Election 2018 gave Democrats a net gain of five state government triplexes and reduced the number of Republican triplexes by four. These 2018 results trim the GOP advantage to 18 triplex states versus 17 for Democrats. Going into the election, Republicans held a 22-12 advantage.
In two states, triplexes were flipped from one party to the other:
Alaska: Republicans picked up their only triplex gain in Alaska—and took one away from the Democrats—with former state Sen. Mike Dunleavy (R) defeating former U.S. Sen. Mark Begich (D) in the governor’s race. Because the attorney general of Alaska is appointed by the governor, and the state does not have a secretary of state, Ballotpedia considers a triplex in Alaska to be the party controlling the governor’s office. Incumbent Gov. Bill Walker was an independent, but he was endorsed by the Democrats, creating a triplex for Democrats. Walker had been running in a three-way contest for re-election, but he suspended his re-election campaign in October and endorsed Begich.
Michigan: Democrats flipped all three offices and took a triplex away from the Republicans.
- Governor: Former state Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer (D) defeated Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette (R) to become governor. Incumbent Gov. Rick Snyder (R) was term-limited.
- Attorney General: Dana Nessel (D) defeated Tom Leonard (R), the speaker of the House in the Michigan House of Representatives. Incumbent Attorney Gen. Bill Schuette (R) was term-limited.
- Secretary of State: Jocelyn Benson (D) defeated Mary Treder Lang (R). Incumbent Ruth Johnson (R) was term-limited.
Democratic triplex gains occurred in these five states:
Colorado: Democrats flipped the attorney general and the secretary of state.
- Attorney General: Phil Weiser (D) defeated George Brauchler (R). Incumbent Attorney General Cynthia Coffman (R) did not run for re-election.
- Secretary of State: Jena Griswold (D) defeated incumbent Wayne Williams (R).
Wisconsin: Democrats flipped the governor and attorney general.
- Governor: Tony Evers (D) defeated incumbent Scott Walker (R).
- Attorney General: Attorney Josh Kaul (D) defeated incumbent Brad Schimel (R).
Illinois: Democrats flipped the governor: Businessman J.B. Pritzker (D) defeated incumbent Bruce Rauner (R).
Maine: Democrats flipped the governor: Maine Attorney General Janet Mills (D) defeated businessman Shawn Moody (R). Incumbent Paul LePage (R) was term-limited.[1]
New Mexico: Democrats flipped the governor: U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) defeated U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce (R). Incumbent Gov. Susana Martinez (R) was term-limited.
Republicans lost triplexes in four states:
Kansas: Democrats flipped the governor: State Sen. Laura Kelly (D) defeated Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R). Incumbent Gov. Jeff Colyer (R) took office following former Gov. Sam Brownback’s resignation in January 2018. Colyer ran for a full term but was defeated by Kobach in the August 7 primary, leaving the seat open.
Nevada: Democrats flipped the governor and attorney general.
- Governor: Steve Sisolak (D) defeated Adam Laxalt (R). Incumbent Gov. Brian Sandoval was term-limited.
- Attorney General: State Sen. Aaron Ford (D) defeated former state Assemblyman Wesley Duncan (R). Incumbent Attorney General Adam Laxalt (R), who was first elected in 2014, ran for governor of Nevada rather than seeking re-election.
North Dakota: The incumbent Republican secretary of state won re-election as an independent, breaking the triplex held by Republicans. Incumbent Al Jaeger—now an independent—defeated state Sen. Joshua Boschee (D). Jaeger originally announced that he would not seek re-election in 2018 for the first time in 26 years. His announcement followed the Republican state party deciding to endorse challenger Will Gardner over Jaeger. However, Gardner dropped out of the race in May, two days after a news story was published detailing an incident in 2006 where Gardner was accused of and pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct.
Arizona: Katie Hobbs (D) defeated Steve Gaynor (R) in the general election for secretary of state, thus flipping control of that office to Democrats. The seat was held by Michele Reagan (R), who was defeated in the Republican primary by Gaynor.
Historical control
In 1977, the Democratic Party held a total of 25 elected secretary of state offices to the Republican Party's 10. The Democratic lead in secretary of state offices narrowed somewhat throughout the 1980s, but once again reached a 25-10 majority of elected offices in 1989 and 1990. Following the 1994 midterm elections, the Republican Party gained an 18-17 majority of elected secretary of state offices. The Democrats would regain their lead following the 2008 presidential election but lose it once again in the 2010 midterm elections. The gap between the parties widened following the 2016 elections, which increased the Republican majority of elected secretary of state offices from 21-14 to 24-11. In the 2018 elections, Democrats gained three offices, and North Dakota incumbent Secretary of State Al Jaeger won re-election as an independent, narrowing the margin to 20-14.
Important dates and deadlines
This section will provide important dates throughout the 2019 election cycle, including filing deadlines, primaries, and campaign finance reporting deadlines, when available. These dates are divided by state.
Kentucky
Primary election
- January 29, 2019: Filing deadline in Kentucky
- April 22, 2019: Voter registration deadline
- May 14, 2019: Absentee application deadline
- May 21, 2019: Primary election in Kentucky
General election
- October 7, 2019: Voter registration deadline
- October 29, 2019: Absentee application deadline
- November 5, 2019: General election in Kentucky
Louisiana
Primary election
- August 8, 2019: Filing deadline in Louisiana
- September 11, 2019: In-person voter registration deadline
- September 21, 2019: Online voter registration deadline
- September 28, 2019: Early voting begins
- October 5, 2019: Early voting ends
- October 8, 2019: Deadline to request a mail ballot
- October 12, 2019: Primary election in Louisiana
General election
- October 16, 2019: In-person voter registration deadline
- October 26, 2019: Online voter registration deadline
- November 2, 2019: Early voting begins
- November 9, 2019: Early voting ends
- November 12, 2019: Deadline to request a mail ballot
- November 16, 2019: General election in Louisiana
Mississippi
Primary election
- March 1, 2019: Filing deadline in Mississippi
- July 8, 2019: Voter registration deadline (primary)
- July 29, 2019: Voter registration deadline (primary runoff)
- August 5, 2019: Absentee ballot return deadline (primary)
- August 6, 2019: Primary election in Mississippi
- August 26, 2019: Absentee ballot return deadline (primary runoff)
- August 27, 2019: Primary runoff election in Mississippi
General election
- October 7, 2019: Voter registration deadline
- November 4, 2019: Absentee ballot return deadline
- November 5, 2019: General election in Mississippi
About the office
The secretary of state is a state-level position in 47 of the 50 states. The position does not exist in Alaska, Hawaii and Utah. In Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia, the office is called the secretary of the commonwealth and differs only in name. The voters directly elect the secretary of state in 35 states. In the other 12, the secretary is appointed by either the governor or the state legislature.
The position's duties are generally administrative, and no two states have identical responsibilities delegated to the secretary of state. Many are tasked with keeping state records, from registering businesses to recording the official acts of the governor. The officeholder also often serves as the chief election official in their state, administering state elections and maintaining official election results. The commissioning and regulation of notaries public, keeping of the official state seal, and certification of official documents all typically fall under the purview of the secretary of state.
Method of selection
Although the position of secretary of state is popularly elected in the majority of states, it is an appointed position in 12 states. Of those 12, the governor is given the power of appointment in nine, while the state Legislature appoints the secretary of state in the remaining three.
Partisan affiliation
Compensation
According to compensation figures for 2023 compiled by the Council of State Governments in the Book of the States, the highest salary for a secretary of state was $222,252 in Tennessee, while the lowest was $67,296 in Alabama. To view the compensation of a specific secretary of state, hover your mouse cursor over the state.
Vacancy fill methods
In 37 states, the secretary of state is the chief elections officer with ultimate oversight over state elections and voter registration.[2]
Ballot measures
In 23 states, the secretary of state is responsible for receiving and certifying ballot measure petitions.[2]
Political party eligibility
In 36 states, the secretary of state is responsible for determining which parties qualify for major-party ballot access.[2]
Term limits
Sixteen states impose some form of term limits on the office of secretary of state.
Analysis of state elections
In 2019, eight states held elections for executive, legislative, or judicial seats, including elections for seven of the nation's 99 state legislative chambers and for three gubernatorial seats.
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ In Maine, the state legislature—which remained under the control of Democrats following the 2018 election—selects the attorney general and secretary of state, creating a triplex state with the change of party control at the governor’s office.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2017 - Secretaries of State: Election and Registration Duties," accessed December 3, 2017
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