Tennessee Secretary of State
| Tennessee Secretary of State | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $222,252 |
| 2025 FY Budget: | $49,604,500 |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Tennessee Constitution, Article III, Section 17 |
| Selection Method: | Elected by the state legislature |
| Current Officeholder | |
Tennessee Secretary of State
Tre Hargett | |
| Other Tennessee Executive Offices | |
| Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Comptroller • Treasurer • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Commissioner • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commission | |
The Tennessee Secretary of State is a constitutional officer, elected by the general assembly for a four-year term. The secretary is the state's chief elections officer and carries out administrative duties of the state government as the chief executive officer of the Department of State. Unlike other states, the Tennessee Secretary of State is not the keeper of the state seal; this duty lies with the Governor of Tennessee, the state's only popularly elected executive official.[1]
The mission of the secretary of state's office is:
| “ | ... to exceed the expectations of our customers, the taxpayers, by operating at the highest levels of accuracy, cost-effectiveness and accountability in a customer-centered environment.[2][3] | ” |
Tennessee has a Republican triplex. The Republican Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.
Current officeholder
The current officeholder is Tre Hargett (R). He was first elected by the Tennessee General Assembly in 2009 and re-elected in 2013 and 2017.[4] Hargett succeeded Riley Darnell (D) as secretary.
Authority
The office of secretary of state is established in Article III, Section 17 of the Tennessee Constitution.
Article III, Section 17:
| A secretary of state shall be appointed by joint vote of the General Assembly, and commissioned during the term of four years; he shall keep a fair register of all the official acts and proceedings of the governor; and shall, when required lay the same, and all papers, minutes and vouchers relative thereto, before the General Assembly; and shall perform such other duties as shall be enjoined by law.[1] |
Additional authority is derived from Title 4 of the Tennessee Code:
| There is created the department of state through which the secretary of state, who shall be the chief officer of the department, shall administer the duties imposed upon the secretary of state by law.[5] |
Qualifications
Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches the constitutional or statutory text that establishes the requirements necessary to qualify for a state executive office. That information for the Tennessee Secretary of State has not yet been added. After extensive research, we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.
Vacancies
Details of vacancy appointments are outlined in Article III, Section 14 of the Tennessee Constitution. In the event of a vacancy in the office, the Tennessee General Assembly shall elect a successor. If the vacancy occurs during a recess of the legislature, the governor shall have the power to fill the vacancy by appointment, which shall expire at the end of the next session of the legislature.[1]
Duties
The Tennessee Constitution requires the secretary of state to keep a register of all official acts and proceedings of the governor and present those to the general assembly at the start of each session.[1] Official duties are further outlined in Title 8, Chapter 3 of the Tennessee code, including, but not limited to:[6]
- Managing the maintenance and distribution of records;
- Preserving boundaries of civil districts sent to the office by county clerks;
- Providing a monthly list of new and suspended corporations to the commissioner of revenue; and
- Maintaining original acts and resolutions from the general assembly and handling the printing of duplicates.
Divisions
- Administrative Hearings
- Business Services
- Charitable Solicitations and Gaming
- Elections
- Human Resources and Organizational Development
- Library & Archives
- Publications
- Records Management[2]
State budget
- See also: Tennessee state budget and finances
The budget for the secretary of state's office in Fiscal Year 2024-2025 was $49,604,500.[7]
Compensation
- See also: Compensation of state executive officers
Title 8, Chapter 23 of the Tennessee Code sets the secretary of state's annual salary, payable in periodic installments out of the state treasury. Since July 1, 1984, any raise in the secretary of state's annual compensation shall be fixed by the governor, provided it is equal to that received by the commissioner of finance and administration.[8]
2023
In 2023, the officer's salary was $222,252, according to the Council of State Governments.[9]
2022
In 2022, the officer's salary was $222,252, according to the Council of State Governments.[10]
2021
In 2021, the secretary of state received a salary of $209,520, according to the Council of State Governments.[11]
2020
In 2020, the secretary of state received a salary of $209,520, according to the Council of State Governments.[12]
2019
In 2019, the secretary of state received a salary of $209,520, according to the Council of State Governments.[13]
2018
In 2018, the secretary of state received a salary of $201,852, according to the Council of State Governments.[14]
2017
In 2017, the secretary of state received a salary of $195,972, according to the Council of State Governments.[15]
2016
In 2016, the secretary of state received a salary of $190,260, according to the Council of State Governments.[16]
2015
In 2015, the secretary of state received a salary of $190,260, according to the Council of State Governments.[17]
2014
In 2014, the secretary of state received a salary of $190,260, according to the Council of State Governments.[18]
2013
In 2013, the secretary of state received a salary of $187,452, according to the Council of State Governments.[19]
Historical officeholders
Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for chronological lists of historical officeholders; information for the Tennessee Secretary of State has not yet been added because the information was unavailable on the relevant state official websites, or we are currently in the process of formatting the list for this office. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Tennessee Secretary of State. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
Contact information
Capitol Address:
Secretary of State
State Capitol
Nashville, TN 37243-1102
Phone: (615) 741-2819
E-mail: tre.hargett@tn.gov
See also
| Tennessee | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Tennessee General Assembly, "The Constitution of the State of Tennessee," accessed Jan. 21, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Tennessee Secretary of State, "Home," accessed Jan. 26, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "Secretary Hargett," accessed Jan. 26, 2021
- ↑ Justia, "TN Code § 4-3-2101 (2019)," accessed Jan. 21, 2021
- ↑ Justia, "TN Code § 8-3-104 (2019)," accessed Jan. 26, 2021
- ↑ Tennessee.gov, "Tennessee House Bill 2973," accessed January 23, 2025
- ↑ LexisNexis, "Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-23-101," accessed Jan. 26, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2023 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 21, 2025
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
- ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 28, 2022
- ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States," Sept. 30, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2019," accessed Jan. 26, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2018," accessed Jan. 26, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2017," accessed Jan. 26, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed December 8, 2014
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," January 28, 2014
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