Secretary of State of Louisiana

Elected constitutional officer of the U.S. state of Louisiana

The secretary of state of Louisiana (French: Secrétaire d'État de la Louisiane) is one of the elected constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Louisiana and serves as the head of the Louisiana Department of State. The position was created by Article 4, Section 7 of the Louisiana Constitution.

The current secretary of state is Nancy Landry.

Powers and duties

Article 4, Section 7 of the Constitution of Louisiana provides for the office of secretary of state.^[1]

The secretary administers Louisiana's Address Confidentiality Program, which protects victims of stalking, domestic violence, and sexual abuse.^{[citation needed]} The secretary operates "Louisiana One Call", the state's "call before you dig" program,^[2] and accepts applications for the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority.^[3] The office manages an online portal for businesses operating in the state.^[4]

The secretary of state's office is responsible for the management of the Old Louisiana Governor's Mansion, the Old Louisiana State Capitol, the State Archives, and seven museums.^[5]

The secretary is an ex officio member of the State Bond Commission^[6] and the board of directors of the Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation.^[7] They are second in the line of gubernatorial succession.^[8]

Structure and organization

The secretary of state's office is located in Baton Rouge.^[9] The Louisiana Department of State is composed of eight divisions:

• The Louisiana State Archives is a division of the secretary of state's office, and is the official repository for all historical records of the state.
• The Commissions Division grants commission certificates to state officials, as well as justices of the peace and clergymen (to perform marriages). This division also issues apostilles, and attests and affixes the state seal to pardons issued by the governor.
• The Commercial Division registers corporations and other business entities, administers the state trademark laws, and files liens pursuant to the Uniform Commercial Code. This division also serves as the registered agent for service of process in certain types of lawsuits.^[10]
• The Elections Division is responsible for the administration of all elections within the state.^[11] Campaign finance and lobbying are regulated by the Louisiana Ethics Administration, a separate agency.
• The Museums Division operates the state's many museums and historical exhibits.
• The Notaries Division licenses and supervises notaries public.
• The Publications Division publishes the state laws of Louisiana, as well as other informational documents of the state government.
• The Voter Outreach Division is responsible for educating and promoting voter rights to current and future voters by coordinating with schools, private organizations, and holding its own voter registration drives.

List of secretaries of state

See also

• Attorney General of Louisiana

References

1. "Department Overview". Louisiana Department of State. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
2. About Louisiana One Call Archived 2008-09-11 at the Wayback Machine
3. Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority
4. Larose, Greg (August 17, 2023). "Why you shouldn't sleep on the Louisiana secretary of state's race this fall". Louisiana Illuminator. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
5. "Oversight of Louisiana Old Governor's Mansion changes hands". KTBS 3 ABC. KTBS. Associated Press. November 8, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
6. Government In Louisiana 2011, p. 2A-6.
7. Government In Louisiana 2011, p. 2H-9.
8. "Branches of Government : Executive Branch : Office Of The Governor". Louisiana.gov. Government of Louisiana. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
9. "Contact Us". Louisiana Department of State. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
10. Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division, Administrative Services Archived 2008-09-11 at the Wayback Machine
11. Mission and history of the Elections Division Archived 2009-06-19 at the Wayback Machine
12. "Emile Honore, Nichols and Packard lock horns again". The Galveston Daily News. 2 February 1877. p. 1.
13. Sollors, Werner (1998). Multilingual America: Transnationalism, Ethnicity, and the Languages of American Literature. NYU Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-8147-8093-0.
14. Congressional Record: Containing the Proceedings and Debates of the ... Congress. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1878. p. 1174.
15. Ruffin, Thomas F. (2006-10-15). Under Stately Oaks: A Pictorial History of LSU. LSU Press. pp. 27–28. ISBN 978-0-8071-3211-1.

Works cited

• State And Local Government In Louisiana: An Overview (PDF) (11th ed.). Baton Rouge: Louisiana House of Representatives Legislative Services. 2011. OCLC 775011735.

External links