Secretary of State of Maine

Secretary of State of Maine
Great Seal of Maine
since January 4, 2021
StyleThe Honorable
Madam Secretary
Term length2 years
Inaugural holderAshur Ware
FormationMarch 15, 1820
Salary$77,792 [1]
WebsiteOfficial website
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The secretary of state of Maine is a constitutional officer in the U.S. state of Maine and serves as the head of the Maine Department of State. The Secretary of State performs duties of both a legislative branch as well as an executive branch officer. The role oversees areas that include motor vehicle licensing, state identification, record keeping, and corporate chartering.[2]

The secretary of state is elected biannually by ballot of members of both houses of the Maine Legislature assembled together,[2] identical in procedure to its neighbor, New Hampshire.[3] The position is elected at the start of the first session of the Maine Legislature, which also sits for a two-year term, concurrent with the other constitutional officers of Maine.[2]

The incumbent secretary of state is Shenna Bellows, who took office on January 4, 2021.[4][5]

  1. ^ "Pay for Maine attorney general, secretary of state outpaces earning power of governor". Bangor Daily News. June 25, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c "Maine State Constitution". www.maine.gov. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  3. ^ "State Constitution - Secretary, Treasurer, Etc. | NH.gov". www.nh.gov. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  4. ^ "Shenna Bellows makes history as Maine's first woman Secretary of State". 2021-01-04.
  5. ^ "Maine Secretaries of State, 1820 - | Maine State Legislature". legislature.maine.gov. Retrieved 2020-04-29.