Secretary of State (SoS)
The Office of Secretary of State, successor to the territorial Secretary, was established by the Constitution of 1818 to keep the archives of the state and a register of the official acts of the Governor. The Secretary of State was appointed by the Governor until the Constitution of 1848 made the office elective. The Secretary also was instructed to perform "such other duties as shall be assigned him by law." (RG 103)
Another constitutional provision required reapportionment of the General Assembly every five years. To meet this requirement censuses were conducted and filed with the Secretary of State in 1820, 1825, 1830, 1835, 1840, and 1845. The Constitution of 1848, however, specified that reapportionment be based on decennial federal census returns, whenever possible, instead of state returns. Thus state censuses were taken in 1855 and 1865 but not in 1850 and 1860 when federal censuses were used for reapportionment. The Constitution of 1870 eliminated the need for any state census by making reapportionment necessary only every ten years and by establishing the federal census as the basis for any readjustment.
Over the years the General Assembly also has instructed the Secretary of State to administer various acts, among which are the Illinois Motor Vehicle Code, Illinois Business Corporation Act, Illinois Securities Act, Franchise Disclosure Act, Uniform Commercial Code, Illinois Government Ethics Act, Notary Public Act, Lobbyist Registration Act, Trademark Act, and Local Records Act. The Secretary also serves as State Librarian, State Archivist, and custodian of buildings and grounds in the capitol complex. He is constitutionally required to maintain the acts of the General Assembly, specified official records of the executive branch, and the Great Seal of Illinois. The Secretary of State functions as the clerk of the Court of Claims and serves on numerous boards and commissions. The Secretary's office also is responsible for the distribution of many official publications.
Many functions formerly exercised by the Secretary of State have been abolished or transferred to the jurisdiction of other state agencies. Until 1973 the Secretary supervised state elections; he also acted as the Superintendent of Common Schools (1845-1854), State Sealer of Weights and Measures (1843-1883), and clerk to the Council of Revision (1831-1848).
The administrative structure of the Secretary of State's office has undergone frequent change. Many departments and divisions have been established and abolished by the Secretary in order to execute his statutory duties.