The secretary of state performs other duties prescribed by law. For instance, the secretary oversees the state archives and the state library. The State Archives serves as the official depository of state agency and local government records that possess administrative, legal, or historic research value.[6] The State Library houses more than 5,000,000 items, and other informational resources, and oversees a consortium of academic and regional libraries in the state.[7] In addition, the secretary is the custodian of the Illinois State Capitol and all state buildings.[8]
By statute, the secretary of state is also tasked with issuing licenses to Illinois drivers and registering motor vehicles operated in the state, effectively making the secretary of state's office the department of motor vehicles, though that phrase is not used in Illinois.[9][10] Enforcement of these duties has made the secretary of state's office a key bureau in the enforcement of laws against driving under the influence.[11] Illinois is one of only three states to put the secretary of state in charge of motor vehicle registration, the other two being Maine and Michigan.
The Secretary of State Police of Illinois is a statewide police force, established in 1913; it is responsible for enforcing the laws of the Illinois Vehicle Code such as regulating businesses involved with the sale of motor vehicles and vehicle parts. Its main purpose is to protect consumers against fraud through adherence to state statutes.
The Secretary of State Police also investigates identity theft, maintains statewide vehicle inspection stations, investigates statewide vehicle thefts, provides statewide school bus regulation, enforces traffic and parking violations and provides law enforcement to all secretary of state facilities.[14]
Illinois State Capitol Police
The Secretary of State Police also maintains the Illinois State Capitol Police, responsible for policing the Illinois State Capitol Complex in Springfield, including both the Capitol and 16 surrounding state buildings. The force was created following a 2004 incident in which an unarmed security guard was shot and killed.[15][16] The force has an authorised strength of 60 officers.[17]
Facilities
The secretary of state's office occupies three buildings of the Illinois State Capitol Complex in Springfield. Many of the secretary of state's workers assigned to motor vehicle and licensing duties work in the Howlett Building, south of the Capitol. The Howlett Building is named after former secretary of state Michael Howlett. The State Archives are housed in the Norton Building, southwest of the Capitol. The Illinois State Library is located in the Brooks Library, east of the Capitol, which is named for longtime state Poet LaureateGwendolyn Brooks, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1950.
In addition, the secretary of state operates 136 Driver Services license-issuing facilities statewide and maintains its own police force. Established in 1913, their duties include enforcement of the Illinois Vehicle Code on businesses regulated by the secretary of state and maintaining public safety, traffic control and assisting other law enforcement agencies.
Officeholders
The secretary of state, to be eligible to take the oath of office, must be a United States citizen of at least 25 years of age, and a resident of Illinois for at least three years preceding the election.
On January 9, 2023, Jesse White, a Democrat, completed his sixth term as the 37th secretary of state, the first African-American in the position and by far longest-serving secretary in Illinois history. Before being elected Secretary of State in November 1998, White had been an elected office-holder from Chicago since 1974. White, who decided to retire at the end of his sixth term at the age of 88, was succeeded by Alexi Giannoulias, who won the 2022 election and became the 38th secretary.
The secretary of state before White was George Ryan, a Republican from Kankakee, Illinois. He held the office from 1991 to 1999, when he became Governor of Illinois. Ryan's tenure as secretary of state led to his downfall in the "licenses for bribes" scandal: after a major automobile accident in Wisconsin that killed six children, investigators discovered that unqualified truck drivers were receiving drivers licenses in exchange for bribes. Ryan chose not to run for re-election in 2002, and in 2006, he was convicted of fraud, including using his authority as secretary of state to end his office's internal investigation after it discovered the scheme.
The official motto of the state of Illinois is "State Sovereignty - National Union". The Illinois secretary of state in 1867, Sharon Tyndale, as the keeper of the Great Seal of Illinois, had it re-engraved so that the word "sovereignty" was upside down. This 1867 seal redesign continues in use to this day, and can be seen, among other places, as the principal device on the flag of Illinois.
^Howlett, Michael J. (August 1977). Keepers of the Seal: a History of the Secretaries of State of Illinois and How Their Office Grew. Springfield: State of Illinois.
1 ▌New Progressive (1 territory) Italics indicate no secretary of state in this state, closest equivalent listed An asterisk (*) indicates that the officeholder is serving in an acting capacity.
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