New Hampshire Secretary of State

Secretary of State of New Hampshire
State seal
Incumbent
David Scanlan
since January 10, 2022
Government of New Hampshire
SeatConcord, New Hampshire
Term lengthTwo years, no term limit
Constituting instrumentNew Hampshire Constitution of 1776
FormationJanuary 21, 1680
(344 years ago) (1680-01-21)
Websitesos.nh.gov

The secretary of state of New Hampshire is a constitutional officer in the U.S. state of New Hampshire and serves as the exclusive head of the New Hampshire Department of State. The secretary is third in line for succession as acting governor of New Hampshire, following the state's president of the Senate and speaker of the House.[1] The secretary oversees all state elections, including certifying the results, and keeps the official records of the state.[1] The secretary is, by statute, the only person who can authorize use of the State Seal.[2]

The secretary is elected biennially by the New Hampshire General Court (state legislature), as prescribed in the Constitution of New Hampshire as adopted in 1784.[1] The position itself dates to 1680, when the Province of New Hampshire was under British rule.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d "About". NH.gov. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  2. ^ "TITLE I THE STATE AND ITS GOVERNMENT: Chapter 3 STATE EMBLEMS, FLAG, ETC". NH.us. New Hampshire General Court. Retrieved February 25, 2022.