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{{Short description|Elected political office in Illinois}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox Political post
|post = Secretary of State
|body = Illinois
|insignia = Seal of Illinois.svg
|insigniasize = 100px
|insigniacaption = [[Great Seal of the State of Illinois]]
|imagesize = 165px
|image = Alexi_Giannoulias (1).jpg
|incumbent = [[Alexi Giannoulias]]
|incumbentsince = January 9, 2023
|style =
|residence =
|termlength = 4 years, unlimited term
|formation = {{start date and age|1818}}
|succession = [[Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Illinois|Third]]
|inaugural = [[Elias Kane]]
|website = [http://www.ilsos.gov/ Official Website]
}}
The '''secretary of state of Illinois''' is one of the six elected executive state offices of the [[government of Illinois]], and one of the 47 [[Secretary of State (U.S. state government)|secretaries of state]] in the United States. The Illinois secretary of state keeps the state records, laws, library, and archives, and is the state's [[Incorporation (business)|corporation registration]], [[vehicle registration]] and [[driver's license|driver licensing]] authority. The current secretary of state is [[Alexi Giannoulias]], a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] who took office in 2023.

==Powers and duties==
The secretary of state, in accordance with the state constitution, is keeper of the official acts of the General Assembly, the official records of the executive branch, and the [[Great Seal of Illinois]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ilga.gov/commission/lrb/conent.htm|title=Article V, Section 16, Illinois Constitution|publisher=Illinois General Assembly|access-date=February 19, 2023}}</ref> These duties have remained unchanged since Illinois became a [[U.S. state]] in 1818.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/home.html|title=Departments|publisher=Office of the Illinois Secretary of State|access-date=February 19, 2023}}</ref> The secretary also [[Incorporation (business)|registers]] [[corporations]] and [[lobbyists]], commissions [[notaries public]], and [[United States securities regulation|regulates]] the [[Securities market participants (United States)|securities industry]], among connected responsibilities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/business_services/home.html|title=Business Services|publisher=Office of the Illinois Secretary of State|access-date=February 19, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/index/about.html|title=About the Index Department|publisher=Office of the Illinois Secretary of State|access-date=February 19, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/securities/abtil.html|title=About the Securities Department|publisher=Office of the Illinois Secretary of State|access-date=February 19, 2023}}</ref>

The [[Secretary of state (U.S. state government)|secretary of state]] performs other duties prescribed by law. For instance, the secretary oversees the state archives and the state library. The State Archives serves as the official depository of state agency and local government records that possess administrative, legal, or historic research value.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/archives/about.html|title=About the Illinois State Archives|publisher=Office of the Illinois Secretary of State|access-date=February 19, 2023}}</ref> The State Library houses more than 5,000,000 items, and other informational resources, and oversees a consortium of academic and regional libraries in the state.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/library/about/home.html|title=About the Illinois State Library|publisher=Office of the Illinois Secretary of State|access-date=February 19, 2023}}</ref> In addition, the secretary is the custodian of the [[Illinois State Capitol]] and all state buildings.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/physical_services/home.html|title=Physical Services|publisher=Office of the Illinois Secretary of State|access-date=February 19, 2023}}</ref>

By statute, the secretary of state is also tasked with issuing [[license]]s to Illinois drivers and registering [[motor vehicle]]s operated in the state, effectively making the secretary of state's office the [[department of motor vehicles]], though that phrase is not used in Illinois.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/drivers/home.html|title=Driver Services|publisher=Office of the Illinois Secretary of State|access-date=February 19, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/vehicles/about.html|title=About the Vehicle Services Department|publisher=Office of the Illinois Secretary of State|access-date=February 19, 2023}}</ref> Enforcement of these duties has made the secretary of state's office a key bureau in the enforcement of laws against [[driving under the influence]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/police/about.html|title=About the Secretary of State Police|publisher=Office of the Illinois Secretary of State|access-date=February 19, 2023}}</ref> Illinois is one of only three states to put the secretary of state in charge of [[motor vehicle registration]], the other two being [[Secretary of State of Maine|Maine]] and [[Michigan Secretary of State|Michigan]].

Aside from routine responsiblilities, the secretary of state is third (behind the [[Lieutenant Governor of Illinois|lieutenant governor]] and [[Illinois Attorney General|attorney general]], respectively) in the [[Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Illinois|line of succession]] to the office of [[Governor of Illinois]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ilga.gov/commission/lrb/conent.htm|title=Constitution of the State of Illinois|work=[[Illinois General Assembly]]|access-date=August 22, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=183&ChapterID=4|title=Illinois Compiled Statutes 15 ILCS 5 — Governor Succession Act.|work=[[Illinois General Assembly]]|access-date=August 23, 2019}}</ref>

==Police==
===Secretary of State Police===
The Secretary of State Police of Illinois is a statewide police force, established in 1913; it is responsible for enforcing the laws of the Illinois Vehicle Code such as regulating businesses involved with the sale of motor vehicles and vehicle parts. Its main purpose is to protect consumers against fraud through adherence to state statutes.

The Secretary of State Police also investigates identity theft, maintains statewide vehicle inspection stations, investigates statewide vehicle thefts, provides statewide school bus regulation, enforces traffic and parking violations and provides law enforcement to all secretary of state facilities.<ref>Secretary of State Official Website http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/police/mission.html</ref>

===Illinois State Capitol Police===
The Secretary of State Police also maintains the '''Illinois State Capitol Police''', responsible for policing the [[Illinois State Capitol|Illinois State Capitol Complex]] in [[Springfield, Illinois|Springfield]], including both the Capitol and 16 surrounding state buildings. The force was created following a 2004 incident in which an unarmed security guard was shot and killed.<ref>{{cite news |last1=O'Connor |first1=John |title=Capitol police short-handed |url=https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110525/news/705259856/ |access-date=16 November 2020 |work=Daily Herald |date=25 May 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Man held after guard killed at Ill. Capitol |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna6056846 |access-date=16 November 2020 |work=NBC News |date=20 September 2004 |language=en}}</ref> The force has an authorised strength of 60 officers.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Finke |first1=Doug |title=2004 shooting led to boost in Illinois Capitol security |url=https://www.pjstar.com/news/20191026/2004-shooting-led-to-boost-in-illinois-capitol-security |access-date=16 November 2020 |work=Journal Star |date=26 October 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

==Facilities==
The secretary of state's office occupies three buildings of the [[Illinois State Capitol]] Complex in [[Springfield, Illinois|Springfield]]. Many of the secretary of state's workers assigned to motor vehicle and licensing duties work in the Howlett Building, south of the Capitol. The Howlett Building is named after former secretary of state [[Michael Howlett]]. The State Archives are housed in the Norton Building, southwest of the Capitol. The Illinois State Library is located in the Brooks Library, east of the Capitol, which is named for longtime state [[Poet Laureate]] [[Gwendolyn Brooks]], winner of the [[Pulitzer Prize]] in 1950.

In addition, the secretary of state operates 136 Driver Services license-issuing facilities statewide and maintains its own police force. Established in 1913, their duties include enforcement of the Illinois Vehicle Code on businesses regulated by the secretary of state and maintaining public safety, traffic control and assisting other law enforcement agencies.

==Officeholders==
The secretary of state, to be eligible to take the oath of office, must be a United States citizen of at least 25 years of age, and a resident of Illinois for at least three years preceding the election.

On January 9, 2023, [[Jesse White (politician)|Jesse White]], a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]], completed his sixth term as the 37th secretary of state, the first [[African-American]] in the position and by far longest-serving secretary in Illinois history. Before being elected Secretary of State in November 1998, White had been an elected office-holder from [[Chicago]] since 1974. White, who decided to retire at the end of his sixth term at the age of 88, was succeeded by [[Alexi Giannoulias]], who won the [[2022 Illinois Secretary of State election|2022 election]] and became the 38th secretary.

The secretary of state before White was [[George Ryan]], a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] from [[Kankakee, Illinois]]. He held the office from 1991 to 1999, when he became [[Governor of Illinois]]. Ryan's tenure as secretary of state led to his downfall in the "licenses for bribes" scandal: after a major [[automobile accident]] in Wisconsin that killed six children, investigators discovered that unqualified [[truck driver]]s were receiving [[drivers license]]s in exchange for bribes. Ryan chose not to run for re-election in 2002, and in 2006, he was convicted of fraud, including using his authority as secretary of state to end his office's internal investigation after it discovered the scheme.

This is a list of all the people who have served as [[Illinois Territorial Secretary]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Howlett |first1=Michael J. |title=Keepers of the Seal: a History of the Secretaries of State of Illinois and How Their Office Grew |date=August 1977 |publisher=State of Illinois |location=Springfield }}</ref> and people who have served as Illinois Secretary of State.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/IL/ofc/sos.html|title=The Political Graveyard: Illinois: Secretaries of State|last=Kestenbaum|first=Lawrence|website=politicalgraveyard.com|access-date=2018-07-29}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! # !! Image !! Name !! Term !! Party
|-{{Party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
| align=right | 1 || [[File:Nathaniel Pope.jpg|60px]] || {{sortname|Nathaniel|Pope}} || 1809-1816 || Democratic-Republican
|-{{Party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
| align=right | 2 || || {{sortname|Joseph|Phillips|Joseph Phillips (judge)}} || 1816–1818 || Democratic-Republican
|-{{Party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
| align=right | 3 || [[File:EliasKane.jpg|60px]] || {{sortname|Elias|Kane}} || 1818–1822 || Democratic-Republican
|-{{Party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
| align=right | 4 || [[File:SamuelLockwood.jpg|60px]] || {{sortname|Samuel D.|Lockwood}} || 1822–1823 || Democratic-Republican
|-{{Party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
| align=right | 5 || || {{sortname|David|Blackwell|dab=politician}} || 1823–1824 || Democratic-Republican
|-{{Party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
| align=right | 6 || || {{sortname|Morris|Birkbeck}} || 1824–1825 || Democratic-Republican
|-{{Party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
| align=right | 7 || || {{sortname|George|Forquer}} || 1825–1828 || Democratic-Republican
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=right | 8 || || {{sortname|Alexander Pope|Field}} || 1829–1840 || Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=right | 9 || [[File:Stephen A Douglas - headshot.jpg|60px]] || {{sortname|Stephen A.|Douglas}} || 1840–1841 || Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=right | 10 || [[File:Lyman Trumbull, Senator from Illinois, Thirty-fifth Congress, half-length portrait LCCN2010649392.jpg|60px]] || {{sortname|Lyman|Trumbull}} || 1841–1843 || Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=right | 11 || [[File:ThompsonCampbell.jpg|60px]] || {{sortname|Thompson|Campbell}} || 1843–1846 || Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=right | 12 || || {{sortname|Horace S.|Cooley}} || 1846–1850 || Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=right | 13 || [[File:David Lawrence Gregg.jpg|60px]] || {{sortname|David L.|Gregg}} || 1850–1853 || Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=right | 14 || || {{sortname|Alexander|Starne}} || 1853–1857 || Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=right | 15 || [[File:Ozias M. Hatch.PNG|60px]] || {{sortname|Ozias M.|Hatch}} || 1857–1865 || Republican
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=right | 16 || || {{sortname|Sharon|Tyndale}} || 1865–1869 || Republican
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=right | 17 |||| {{sortname|Edward|Rummel}} || 1869–1873 || Republican
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=right | 18 || || {{sortname|George H.|Harlow}} || 1873–1881 || Republican
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=right | 19 || || {{sortname|Henry D.|Dement}} || 1881–1889 || Republican
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=right | 20 || [[File:Isaac N. Pearson.png|60px]] || {{sortname|Isaac N.|Pearson}} || 1889–1893 || Republican
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=right | 21 || [[File:William H. Hinrichsen (Illinois Congressman).jpg|60px]] || {{sortname|William H.|Hinrichsen}} || 1893–1897 || Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=right | 22 || [[File:James Alexander Rose (1850–1912).png|60px]] || {{sortname|James A.|Rose}} || 1897–1912 || Republican
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=right | 23 || || {{sortname|Cornelius J.|Doyle}} || 1912–1913 || Republican
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=right | 24 || [[File:Harry Woods 1912 Headshot.png|60px]] || {{sortname|Harry|Woods|dab=Illinois politician}} || 1913–1914 || Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=right | 25 || [[File:Louis G. Stevenson.jpg|60px]] || {{sortname|Lewis|Stevenson|Lewis Stevenson (politician)}} || 1914–1917 || Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=right | 26 || [[File:Louis Lincoln Emmerson (3x4a).jpg|60px]] || {{sortname|Louis Lincoln|Emmerson}} || 1917–1929 || Republican
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=right | 27 || [[File:William J. Stratton (1).jpg|60px]] || {{sortname|William J.|Stratton}} || 1929–1933 || Republican
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=right | 28 || [[File:Edward J. Hughes 12819 (3x4).jpg |60px]] || {{sortname|Edward J.|Hughes}} || 1933–1944 || Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=right | 29 || [[File:Richard Yates Rowe 7545 (3x4).jpg|60px]] || {{sortname|Richard Yates|Rowe}} || 1944–1945 || Republican
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=right | 30 || [[File:Edward J. Barrett, circa 1945 (3x4).jpg|60px]] || {{sortname|Edward J.|Barrett|dab=Illinois politician}} || 1945–1953 || Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=right | 31 || [[File:Charles F. Carpentier circa 1957 (3x4).jpg|60px]] || {{sortname|Charles F.|Carpentier}} || 1953–1964 || Republican
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=right | 32 || || {{sortname|William H.|Chamberlain}} || 1964–1965 || Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=right | 33 || [[File:Paul Powell circa 1967 (3x4).jpg|60px]] || {{sortname|Paul|Powell|dab=politician}} || 1965–1970 || Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=right | 34 || [[File:John W Lewis Blue Book 1971-1972.jpg|60px]] || {{sortname|John W.|Lewis Jr.}} || 1970–1973 || Republican
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=right | 35 || [[File:Michael Howlett.jpg|60px]] || {{sortname|Michael|Howlett}} || 1973–1977 || Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=right | 36 || [[File:Alan John Dixon.jpg|60px]] || {{sortname|Alan J.|Dixon}} || 1977–1981 || Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=right | 37 || [[File:Secretary of State Jim Edgar (cropped).jpg|60px]] || {{sortname|Jim|Edgar}} || 1981–1991 || Republican
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=right | 38 || [[File:George Ryan, 1989(crop).jpg|60px]] || {{sortname|George|Ryan}} || 1991–1999 || Republican
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=right | 39 || [[File:Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White (1).jpg|60px]] || {{sortname|Jesse|White|dab=politician}} || 1999–2023|| Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=right | 40 || [[File:Alexi Giannoulias (1).jpg|60px]] || {{sortname|Alexi|Giannoulias}} || 2023–present || Democratic
|}

==Seal of Illinois==
{{main|Great Seal of Illinois}}

The official motto of the state of Illinois is "State [[Sovereignty]] - National Union". The Illinois secretary of state in 1867, [[Sharon Tyndale]], as the keeper of the [[Great Seal of Illinois]], had it re-engraved so that the word "sovereignty" was upside down. This 1867 seal redesign continues in use to this day, and can be seen, among other places, as the principal device on the [[flag of Illinois]].

==See also==
* [[Governor of Illinois]]
* [[Lieutenant Governor of Illinois]]
* [[Illinois Attorney General]]
* [[Comptroller of Illinois]]
* [[Treasurer of Illinois]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{official website|http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/}}

{{U.S. State Secretaries of State}}
{{Illinois statewide elected officials}}
{{Illinois statewide political officials}}
{{Capitol police}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Illinois Secretary Of State}}
[[Category:Motor vehicle registration agencies]]
[[Category:Secretaries of state of Illinois| ]]
[[Category:State agencies of Illinois|State]]
[[Category:1818 establishments in Illinois]]

Illinois Secretary of State - Revision history

imported>Adavidb: spaces