Department of the Secretary of State
Dates
- Creation: 1620 -
Creator
- Secretary of State (Organization)
Biographical / Historical
The Secretary of State, as established by the Constitution of the State of Maine in 1820 (Article V, Part 2), “shall carefully keep and preserve the records of all the official acts and proceedings of the Governor, Senate and House of Representatives, and, when required, lay the same before either branch of the Legislature, and perform such other duties as are enjoined by this Constitution, or shall be required by law.”
The Secretary of State is elected biennially by joint ballot of both houses of the Legislature. In 1862, certificates of incorporation were required to be deposited with the Secretary of State, leading to the formation of a Corporations Division in 1870. The Elections Division was established in 1891 when the Secretary of State was designated responsibility for printing and distributing ballots to towns, providing returns and performing other duties related to elections. The Bureau of Motor Vehicles was established in 1905 to provide for the registration of motor vehicles by the Secretary of State. In 1919, registration of legislative counsel and employers became a function of the Secretary of State. In 1963, the State adopted the Uniform Commercial Code to be administered by the Secretary of State as a function of the Corporation Division. Also in 1963, the Department of the Secretary of State was first recognized under law with the Secretary of State designated as its executive head. The Maine State Archives, created in 1965 and administered by the State Archivist, was made a bureau of the Department in 1973.
Extent
3638 Linear Feet (5253 containers)
Language of Materials
English
Metadata Rights Declarations
Custodial History
The Maine State Archives holds the Maine State Government’s records of historical value. Records are transferred by state agencies to the Archives based on schedules set up by the records management system. These schedules describe the type of records created by the agencies and for how long they should be kept. (MRS Title 5, chapter 6, section 95-C)
Linked below are the general schedules which apply to all departments. Department-specific schedules, if any, are also included. Only current (most recent or active schedules) are included in these lists. Material may have come in under prior versions of the schedule with different descriptions or time periods.
Department of the Secretary of State - Agency Specific Schedules (pdf)
General Schedules
- Status
- Completed
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Maine State Archives Repository