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The Office of Secretary of State is one of three constitutional offices established at statehood. The secretary of state is the custodian of the state seal and oversees the functions of seven divisions.
As auditor of public accounts, the secretary evaluates and reports on the financial condition and operations of state government and administers the Municipal Audit law.
The secretary of state is the chief elections officer, responsible for uniformly applying state election laws. He also acts as the filing officer for state offices, initiative and referendum petitions, campaign finance reports and other election documents. In addition, the secretary publishes and distributes the Voters’ Pamphlet and investigates and prosecutes election law violations.
The secretary is the public records administrator for Oregon, a role that includes preserving official acts of the Legislature and state agencies, supervising the state archivist, publishing the administrative rules for state agencies and producing the Oregon Blue Book.
The secretary of state registers domestic and foreign corporations’ assumed business names, and trade and service marks. The secretary prepares notarial applications and serves as filing officer for Uniform Commercial Code transactions.
The secretary of state serves with the governor and state treasurer on the State Land Board, managing state-owned lands for the benefit of the Common School Fund. The secretary also serves as chair of the Oregon Sustainability Board.