The secretary of state of Vermont is one of five cabinet-level constitutional officers in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

which are elected every two years. The secretary of state is fourth (behind the lieutenant governor,

speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

, president ''pro tempore'' of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, respectively) in the

line of succession An order of succession or right of succession is the line of individuals necessitated to hold a high office when it becomes vacated such as head of state or an honour such as a title of nobility.Governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of 2 years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every ...

. The Office of the Secretary of State is located at 128 State St. in Montpelier. Since 2011, the secretary of state has been James C. Condos, a Democrat.

Responsibilities

The agency, headed by the Vermont secretary of state, manages several divisions and departments including: * The State Archives Division is charged with preserving and keeping accessible all state records. The State Archives preserve documents going back to the state's founding as the

Vermont Republic The Vermont Republic ( French: ''République du Vermont''), officially known at the time as the State of Vermont ( French: ''État du Vermont''), was an independent state in New England that existed from January 15, 1777, to March 4, 1791. The ...

in 1777. * The Office of Professional Regulations licenses and regulates 39 professional occupations to protect the state's citizens from incompetent, unethical, and unprofessional behavior. * The Elections Divisions administers Vermont's elections, works to protect the integrity of the democratic process, registers voters, coordinates administration of the

Voter's Oath The voter's oath or affirmation, formerly the freemen's oath, is a citizen's oath or affirmation taken during voter registration in the U.S. state of Vermont. In 2007, the law was amended to make it easier to administer this oath or affirmation; in ...

, oversees campaign finance reporting, and implements Vermont's lobbyist disclosure laws. * The Corporations Division registers business entities and is the filing repository for

Uniform Commercial Code The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), first published in 1952, is one of a number of Uniform Acts that have been established as law with the goal of harmonizing the laws of sales and other commercial transactions across the United States through U ...

filings for the state of Vermont. * The Notary Resource Center oversees Vermont's notaries public. The Secretary of State's Office is also responsible for the filing and publication of administrative rules by all state agencies. The office of Secretary of State pre-dates Vermont statehood in 1791. Prior to 1884 the Secretary of State was chosen in a vote of the

Vermont General Assembly The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The G ...

. The first secretary of state chosen by the voters of the state was Charles W. Porter.

Responsibilities

List of Vermont secretaries of state

See also

References

External links