Delaware Secretary of State
| Delaware Secretary of State | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $139,008 |
| 2024 FY Budget: | $109,526,700 |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | Serves at the pleasure of the governor |
| Authority: | Delaware Constitution, Article III, Section 10 |
| Selection Method: | Appointed by governor |
| Current Officeholder | |
Delaware Secretary of State
Jeffrey W. Bullock | |
| Other Delaware Executive Offices | |
| Governor•Lieutenant Governor•Secretary of State•Attorney General•Treasurer•Auditor•Secretary of Education•Agriculture Secretary•Insurance Commissioner•Natural Resources Secretary•Labor Secretary•Public Service Commission | |
The Delaware Secretary of State is the head of the Department of State in the state of Delaware.
The secretary's responsibilities involve registry of businesses and corporations, monitoring banks, and other commercial activities. Unlike many other state secretaries of state, the Delaware Secretary of State is not in charge of administering elections in Delaware. The Delaware Department of Elections is a separate agency from the Department of State.[1]
Delaware has a Democratic triplex. The Democratic Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.
Current officeholder
The current secretary is Jeffrey W. Bullock, a Democrat. Bullock was first appointed on January 21, 2009, by Governor Jack Markell.[2]
Authority
The office of secretary of state is established by the Delaware Constitution in Article III, Section 10.
Delaware Constitution, Article III, Section 10
| The Governor shall appoint, by and with the consent of a majority of all the members elected to the Senate, a Secretary of State, who shall hold office during the pleasure of the Governor. |
Qualifications
There are no specific qualifications for this office.
Appointments
The secretary of state is appointed by the governor. Appointments to the office must be confirmed by a majority vote of the state Senate and appointees serve at the pleasure of the governor. The process of appointment is detailed in Article III, Section 10 of the state Constitution.
Term limits
There are no term limits associated with the office.
Vacancies
Per Article III, Section 9 of the state Constitution, the governor fills vacancies in the office of secretary of state in the same manners as normal appointments. If a vacancy occurs while the Senate is in recess, the governor may appoint an acting secretary by commission until it reconvenes.
Duties
As of January 14, 2021, the Department of State listed the following duties on its website:[1]
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Divisions
As of January 14, 2021, divisions within the Department of State included:[4]
- Archives
- Arts
- Banking
- Buena Vista
- Corporations
- Delaware Day
- Export Delaware
- Government Information Center
- Heritage Commission
- Historical & Cultural Affairs
- Human Relations Commission
- Libraries
- Merit Employee Relations Board
- Notaries
- Pardons
- Professional Regulation
- Public Advocate
- Public Employment Relations Board
- Public Integrity Commission
- Public Service Commission
- Small Business
- VDA
- Veterans Affairs
- Veterans Home
State budget
- See also: Delaware state budget and finances
The budget for the Department of State in the 2024 Fiscal Year was $109,526,700.[5]
Compensation
- See also: Compensation of state executive officers
The salaries of Delaware's elected state executives are determined by state law as mandated by the Delaware Constitution. Article III of the state Constitution requires that salary changes not take effect until after the current terms of affected offices.
The Delaware State Legislature created the Delaware Compensation Commission in 1984 to determine state executive salaries. This commission consists of six members including two appointees by the governor, one appointee each by the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Delaware State Senate, the current chair of the Delaware Business Roundtable and the director of the state Office of Management and Budget. Commissioners meet every four years to make salary recommendations, which are implemented unless the Delaware State Legislature rejects the entirety of the report. From 1985 to 2013, the commission's report was only rejected once by legislators, who submitted their own salary increases for executives officials in 1993.[6]
2022
In 2022, the officer's salary was $139,008, according to the Council of State Governments.[7]
2021
In 2021, the secretary of state received a salary of $132,011, according to the Council of State Governments.[8]
2020
In 2020, the secretary of state received a salary of $132,011 according to the Council of State Governments.[9]
2019
In 2019, the secretary of state received a salary of $131,011 according to the Council of State Governments.[10]
2018
In 2018, the secretary of state received a salary of $130,111 according to the Council of State Governments.[11]
2017
In 2017, the secretary of state received a salary of $128,090 according to the Council of State Governments.[12]
2016
In 2016, the secretary of state received a salary of $128,090 according to the Council of State Governments.[13]
2015
In 2015, the secretary of state received a salary of $128,090 according to the Council of State Governments.[14]
2014
In 2014, the secretary of state was paid an estimated $127,590 according to the Council of State Governments.[15]
2013
In 2013, the secretary of state was paid an estimated $127,590 according to the Council of State Governments.
2012
In 2012, the secretary of state was paid an estimated $126,327 according to the Council of State Governments.
2010
In 2010, the secretary of state was paid an estimated $120,755 according to the Council of State Governments.[16]
Historical officeholders
Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for chronological lists of historical officeholders; information for the Delaware 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
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Contact information
Capitol Address:
Delaware Secretary of State
401 Federal St., Suite 3
Dover, DE 19901
Phone: (302) 739-4111
Fax: (302) 739-3811
See also
| Delaware | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Delaware Department of State, "About the Department of State," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ Delaware Department of State, "The Secretary of State's Welcome Letter," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Delaware Department of State, "Divisions," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ Delaware General Assembly, "House Bill 195," accessed December 6, 2023
- ↑ Delaware Compensation Commission, "2018 Total Compensation Study," January 14, 2021
- ↑ 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 22, 2022
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2020," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2019," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2018," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2017," accessed January 14, 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 November 14, 2014
- ↑ The Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2010 -- Table 4.11," accessed August 10, 2011
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