Michigan Secretary of State

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Department of State
Seal of Michigan Secretary of State.svg
Department overview
FormedOctober 6, 1835 (1835-10-06)
TypeState department
Jurisdiction State of Michigan
Headquarters Lansing, Michigan
Department executives
Key document
Website www.michigan.gov/sos

The Michigan Department of State is a principal executive department of the government of Michigan. It is responsible for administering elections, regulating notaries public, and maintaining records of statutes and the Great Seal of Michigan. It also serves as the state's department of motor vehicles, administering motor vehicle registration and licensing automobile drivers. [1]

Contents

The department is led by the secretary of state of Michigan, a constitutional executive officer elected on a partisan ballot every four years alongside gubernatorial elections. The office is currently held by Jocelyn Benson of the Democratic Party, first elected in 2018. As the name implies, the officeholder was originally responsible for much of state government, but now the duties are similar to those of the other 46 secretaries of states across the United States. The secretary of state is the third-highest elected official in Michigan, and serves as acting governor in the absence of the governor and lieutenant governor. [1]

Under state law, the secretary of state must have at least one office in each of Michigan's 83 counties. [2]

Department organization

Secretary of State office, Pittsfield Township Secretary of State Office, Pittsfield Township, Michigan.JPG
Secretary of State office, Pittsfield Township

Customer Services Administration

The Customer Services Administration (CSA) is divided into the Bureau of Branch Office Services, the Driver and Vehicle Records Division, the Office of Customer Services, the Department of State Information Center, the Program Procedures Section, and the Program Support Section. The Bureau of Branch Office Services operates a network of branch offices providing driver's licensing, vehicle titling and registration, and voter registration services to the citizens of Michigan. The Driver and Vehicle Records Division manages driver and vehicle records maintenance activities. The Office of Customer Services oversees the Renewal-By-Mail and Internet Renewal, as well as the Uniform Commercial Code. The office serves International Registration Plan vehicle owners and Michigan residents who are out of state. The Department of State Information Center is the point of contact for many citizens seeking information about Secretary of State programs and services. The center also oversees driver and vehicle record sales and the distribution of the annual jury listing to Michigan counties. [1]

Department Services Administration

The Department Services Administration (DSA) provides coordination and support to the agency in the areas of administration, finance, technology, project management, human resources, employee development, and occupancy management. The DSA includes the Office of Technology and Project Services, the Office of Human Resources, the Office of Occupancy Services, the Accounting Services Division, the Budget Services Division, and the department's Business Application Modernization initiative. [1]

The Legal and Regulatory Services Administration (LRSA) is divided into the Bureau of Information Security, the Bureau of Regulatory Services, and the Legal Policy and Procedures Section. The LRSA provides research and counsel to the secretary of state on statutes and rules administered. [1]

Election and officeholders

Secretary of State of Michigan
Seal of Michigan Secretary of State.svg
SOS Jocelyn Benson web.jpg
Incumbent
Jocelyn Benson
since January 1, 2019
Michigan Department of State
AppointerPopular election
Term length 4 years, renewable once
Inaugural holder Kintzing Prichette
Formation1837
Website www.michigan.gov/sos/

The secretary of state is elected for a four-year term, concurrent with that of the governor. Candidates are nominated at partisan conventions. [3] Under an amendment to the state Constitution which was passed in 1992, the secretary of state is restricted to two four-year terms in that office.

The secretary of state receives the courtesy title of The Honorable for life.

Michigan secretaries of state
#ImageOfficeholder [4] Term of servicePolitical party
1 Kintzing Prichette 1835–1838Democratic
2 Randolph Manning 1838–1840Democratic
3 Thomas Rowland 1840–1842Whig
4 Robert P. Eldredge 1842–1846Democratic
5 Gideon O. Whittemore 1846–1848
6 George Washington Peck (Michigan Congressman).jpg George W. Peck 1848–1850Democratic
7 George Redfield (1796-1887), Michigan farmer and politician (cropped).jpg George R. Redfield 1850Democratic
8 Charles H. Taylor 1850–1852Democratic
9 William Graves 1853–1855Democratic
10 John McKinney 1855–1859 Republican
11 Nelson G. Isbell 1859–1861Republican
12 James B. Porter 1861–1867Republican
13 Oliver L. Spaulding Public Men.png Oliver L. Spaulding 1867–1871Republican
14 Daniel Striker 1871–1875Republican
15 Ebenezer G. D. Holden 1875–1879Republican
16 William Jenney 1879–1883Republican
17 Harry A. Conant Genealogy.png Harry A. Conant 1883–1887Republican
18 Gilbert R. Osmun.png Gilbert R. Osmun 1887–1891Republican
19 Daniel E. Soper 1891.png Daniel E. Soper 1891Democratic
20 Robert Roe Blacker (1845-1931).png Robert R. Blacker 1891–1893Democratic
21 John W. Jochim 1893.png John W. Jochim 1893–1894Republican
22 Washington Gardner 1899.png Washington Gardner 1894–1899Republican
23 Justus Smith Stearns Men of Progress.png Justus Smith Stearns1899–1901Republican
24 Fred M. Warner Souvenir.png Fred M. Warner 1901–1905Republican
25 George A. Prescott 1907.png George A. Prescott 1905–1909Republican
26 Frederick C. Martindale 1911.png Frederick C. Martindale 1909–1915Republican
27 Coleman C. Vaughan 1915.png Coleman C. Vaughan 1915–1921Republican
28 Charles L. DeLand.png Charles J. DeLand 1921–1927Republican
29 John S. Haggerty 1929.png John S. Haggerty 1927–1931Republican
30 Frank D. Fitzgerald 1937.png Frank Fitzgerald 1931–1934Republican
31 Clarke W. Brown.png Clarke W. Brown 1934Republican
32 Orville E. Atwood 1935.png Orville E. Atwood 1935–1937Republican
33 Leon D. Case.png Leon D. Case 1937–1939Democratic
34 Harry F. Kelly.jpg Harry Kelly 1939–1943Republican
35 Herman H. Dignan 1943.png Herman H. Dignan 1943–1946Republican
36 Frederick M. Alger Jr.png Frederick M. Alger Jr. 1947–1953Republican
37 Owen Cleary.png Owen Cleary 1953–1955Republican
38 James M. Hare.png James M. Hare 1955–1971Democratic
39 Richard H. Austin 1973.png Richard H. Austin 1971–1995Democratic
40 Candice Miller.jpg Candice Miller 1995–2003Republican
41 Terri Lynn Land portrait crop.jpg Terri Lynn Land 2003–2011Republican
42 Ruth Johnson 2011.jpeg Ruth Johnson 2011–2019Republican
43 SOS Jocelyn Benson web.jpg Jocelyn Benson 2019–presentDemocratic

Source: Michigan Manual 2003-2004, Chapter IV, Former Officials of Michigan

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Michigan Manual 2011-2012: Chapter IV – The Executive Branch" (PDF). Michigan Department of State.
  2. MCL 257.205 Secretary of state; office and branch offices; establishment; employees; bond; liability for loss of money; person appointed to conduct branch office; compensation and expenses.
  3. MCL 168.72 Candidates for lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general; nomination at fall state convention.
  4. Michigan.gov, Michigan Secretaries of State