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The State Capitol in Salem houses the central offices of the Secretary of State. (Oregon State Archives Photo)
Present Duties
The Office of the 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
of state evaluates and reports on the financial
condition and operations of state government and administers the Municipal Audits Law.
The secretary of state is the chief elections
officer, responsible for uniformly applying state election laws. She 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 election law violations.
The secretary of state is the public records administrator for Oregon, a role that includes preserving official acts of the Legislature, state agencies and local governments, as well as supervising the state archivist, publishing 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.
Agency Subdivisions
Information about this agency's divisions, offices, programs, etc.
Contact Information
Mailing Address: 136 State Capitol, Salem 97310-0722
Telephone: 503-986-1500
Fax: 503-986-1616
General E-mail: oregon.sos@state.or.us
Contact: Kate Brown, Secretary of State; Brian Shipley, Deputy Secretary of State
Records Officer E-mail: Jeffry Morgan
Staff Directory from Oregon.gov
Location Map: by Yahoo! Maps
Legal and Legislative Information
Statutory Authority: Oregon Constitution Article VI section 2; ORS Chapters 177, 240
Administration Budget Analysis (pdf) - by Legislative Fiscal Office
Audit Reports - select agency from menu
Records, Publications and General Information
Biography - a brief sketch about the secretary of state's background and role
Agency History (pdf) - a detailed history of the agency
Records Retention Schedule (pdf) - a list of the public records kept at the agency
State Archives Holdings - a select list of the agency's records available for research at the State Archives
State Library Publications - a link to the Oregon State Library Catalog