Georgia Secretary of State

Georgia Secretary of State
Name	Secretary of State of Georgia
Incumbent	Brad Raffensperger
Incumbentsince	2019
Department	Office of Secretary of State
Style	The Honorable
Termlength	Four years, renewable
Formation	1777
Website	Official website

Georgia Secretary of State The Georgia Secretary of State is a statewide elected official responsible for administering elections, maintaining public records, regulating business entities, and overseeing professional licensing in the U.S. state of Georgia. The office interfaces with agencies such as the Georgia General Assembly, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia Department of Revenue, Georgia Public Service Commission, and federal entities including the United States Congress, United States Department of Justice, and the Federal Election Commission. Occupants have been central figures in disputes involving 2018 United States elections, 2020 United States presidential election, and statewide litigation before the Supreme Court of the United States.

Office overview

The Office of Secretary of State was established in the Constitution of Georgia (1777) and evolved through the Georgia Constitution of 1789, Georgia Constitution of 1861, Georgia Constitution of 1868, and the Georgia Constitution of 1983. The office shares administrative space with the Georgia State Capitol complex and liaises with the Office of the Governor of Georgia, Georgia State Senate, Georgia House of Representatives, and municipal governments such as Atlanta, Savannah, Augusta, Georgia, and Columbus, Georgia. Historically, notable figures who have held the post include John A. Watson (Georgia politician), Ben W. Fortson Jr., Karen Handel, Brian Kemp, and Stacey Abrams—each later connected to other offices like United States Senate, Governor of Georgia, United States House of Representatives, and federal appointments.

Duties and powers

Statutory duties are codified in the Georgia Code and include maintaining the Georgia state seal, preserving records of the Georgia Supreme Court, filing of corporation and limited liability company charters, administering the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), and licensing professionals tied to boards such as the Georgia State Board of Accountancy, Georgia Board of Nursing, and Georgia Real Estate Commission. The secretary enforces statutes involving the Georgia Corporation Commission (historical), coordinates with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, and private stakeholders including the Chamber of Commerce of the United States, National Association of Secretaries of State, and Ballot Project advocates. Powers encompass rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act (Georgia), civil enforcement through the Georgia Attorney General, and participation in interstate compacts like the Electronic Registration Information Center.

Election administration

As chief elections official, the secretary's responsibilities encompass ballot certification for contests including the United States Senate election in Georgia, 2020–21, coordination with county election boards such as those in Fulton County, Georgia, Gwinnett County, Georgia, and DeKalb County, Georgia, and oversight of voter registration lists cross-referenced with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. The office manages absentee and provisional ballot procedures, certifies results for federal contests reported to the Federal Election Commission, and enforces campaign finance disclosure under statutes mirroring the Help America Vote Act of 2002. The secretary interacts with advocacy groups such as ACLU of Georgia, League of Women Voters of Georgia, Common Cause, and litigants in cases before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Appointment and succession

The secretary is elected statewide every four years during United States gubernatorial elections in Georgia. Vacancies have been filled via gubernatorial appointment by the Governor of Georgia subject to statutes and confirmations involving the Georgia General Assembly when required. Succession protocols relate to offices like Lieutenant Governor of Georgia and involve coordination with the Georgia Secretary of State (historical officeholders) records and archivals at institutions including the Georgia Archives and the Library of Congress.

Officeholders

Notable officeholders include John Milledge, Wilson Lumpkin, Benjamin W. Harris (Georgia) (historical), Ben W. Fortson Jr., Zell Miller (not as secretary but contemporaneous in state politics), Max Cleland (state roles), Karen Handel, Brian Kemp, and the incumbent Brad Raffensperger. Many secretaries have had careers connected to offices such as Governor of Georgia, United States House of Representatives, United States Senate, and appointments to regional bodies like the Southern Governors' Association. Biographical and electoral data are recorded in resources maintained by the Georgia Secretary of State (office) archives and the National Archives.

Controversies and reforms

The office has been central to controversies including disputes from the 2000 United States presidential election era reform movements, systemic debates after the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election, challenges surrounding the 2020 United States presidential election in Georgia leading to litigation involving the United States Department of Justice and state prosecutors, and investigations touching officials such as Rudy Giuliani and local actors in post-election activities. Reforms proposed or enacted include revisions to the Georgia Election Code, implementation of paper-trail requirements influenced by the Help America Vote Act of 2002, adoption of the Electronic Registration Information Center data-sharing protocols, and legislative changes from the Georgia General Assembly in bills debated by stakeholders including ACLU of Georgia, Heritage Foundation, Brennan Center for Justice, and partisan caucuses like the Republican Party of Georgia and Democratic Party of Georgia. High-profile legal contests have proceeded through the Supreme Court of Georgia, the Supreme Court of the United States, and federal appellate courts, prompting administrative changes tied to audit procedures, vendor procurement involving companies such as Dominion Voting Systems and Election Systems & Software, and federal scrutiny by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Category:Government of Georgia (U.S. state) Category:State constitutional officers of the United States