Indiana Secretary of State

	Indiana Secretary of State
	; ; ;
	General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$91,707
2025 FY Budget:	$22,328,385
Term limits:	Eight out of 12 years
	Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Selection Method:	Elected
	Current Officeholder
	Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales; Republican Party; Assumed office: January 1, 2023
	Elections
Next election:	November 3, 2026
Last election:	November 8, 2022
	Other Indiana Executive Offices
	Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Comptroller • Examiner • Secretary of Education • Agriculture Director • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Director • Labor Commissioner • Utility Regulatory Commission

The Secretary of State for Indiana is one of five statewide, elected constitutional officers created by Indiana's Constitution. The secretary is responsible for "maintenance of state records and preservation of the state seal." They also charter new businesses, regulates the securities industry within Indiana, runs state elections and provides a number of services to the state's automobile dealers.^[1]

Indiana has a Republican triplex. The Republican Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.

Current officeholder[edit]

The current Indiana Secretary of State is Diego Morales (R). Morales assumed office in 2023.

Authority[edit]

The Indiana Secretary of State's powers, term of office, etc. are derived from Article VI of the Indiana Constitution.

Article 6, Section 1:

There shall be elected, by the voters of the state, a Secretary, an Auditor and a Treasurer of State...

Qualifications[edit]

Candidates for secretary of state, as with all Indiana state and local offices, must be registered to vote. He or she must also file a "statement of economic interest" regarding any possible financial interests a candidate may have in the office. Additionally, there are a variety of factors that can disqualify a potential candidate for secretary of state, including:^[2]

Offering a bribe, threat or reward to procure their own election.
Having been convicted of a felon.
Having been previously removed from office.
Being a member of the U.S. armed forces

Elections[edit]

Indiana state government organizational chart

Secretaries of state are elected to four-year terms during federal midterm election years (2022, 2026, 2030, etc.) and take office on January 1 in the year following their election.^[3] Elections occur on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.^[4]

2022[edit]

See also: Indiana Secretary of State election, 2022

General election

General election for Indiana Secretary of State

Diego Morales defeated Destiny Scott Wells, Jeff Maurer, David Wetterer, and Andrew Straw in the general election for Indiana Secretary of State on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Diego Morales (R)	54.1	999,893
	Destiny Scott Wells (D)	40.2	742,624
	Jeff Maurer (L)	5.7	104,519
	David Wetterer (G) (Write-in)	0.0	107
	Andrew Straw (Disability Party) (Write-in)	0.0	36

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,847,179
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Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Indiana Secretary of State

Destiny Scott Wells advanced from the Democratic convention for Indiana Secretary of State on June 18, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Destiny Scott Wells (D)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican convention

Republican convention for Indiana Secretary of State

Diego Morales defeated incumbent Holli Sullivan and David Shelton in the Republican convention for Indiana Secretary of State on June 18, 2022.

		Candidate
		Holli Sullivan (R)
✔		Diego Morales (R)
		David Shelton (R)

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Kyle Conrad (R)
Paul Hager (R)

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Indiana Secretary of State

Jeff Maurer advanced from the Libertarian convention for Indiana Secretary of State on March 5, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Jeff Maurer (L)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2018[edit]

See also: Indiana Secretary of State election, 2018

General election

General election for Indiana Secretary of State

Incumbent Connie Lawson defeated Jim Harper and Mark Rutherford in the general election for Indiana Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Connie Lawson (R)	56.2	1,263,074
	Jim Harper (D)	40.6	911,546
	Mark Rutherford (L)	3.2	71,234
	Other/Write-in votes	0.0	905

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,246,759
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2014[edit]

See also: Indiana secretary of state election, 2014

Secretary of state of Indiana, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Connie Lawson Incumbent	57.1%	762,223
	Democratic	Beth White	39.5%	527,379
	Libertarian	Karl Tatgenhorst	3.4%	45,393
Total Votes				1,334,995
Election results via Indiana Secretary of State

Term limits[edit]

Term limits for the secretary of state are defined in Article 6, Section 1 of the Indiana Constitution, which prohibits a secretary of state for holding the position for more than eight years in any given 12 year period.

Indiana Constitution, Article 6, Section 1:

There shall be elected, by the voters of the state, a Secretary, an Auditor and a Treasurer of State, who shall, severally, hold their offices for four years. They shall perform such duties as may be enjoined by law; and no person shall be eligible to either of said offices, more than eight years in any period of twelve years.

Vacancies[edit]

The governor fills vacancies in the office of secretary of state by appointment; the appointee serves until the next election.^[5]

Indiana Constitution, Article 5, Section 18

When, during a recess of the General Assembly, a vacancy shall happen in any office, the appointment to which is vested in the General Assembly; or when, at any time, a vacancy shall have occurred in any other State office, or in the office of Judge of any Court; the Governor shall fill such vacancy, by appointment, which shall expire, when a successor shall have been elected and qualified.

Duties[edit]

The secretary is responsible for "maintenance of state records and preservation of the state seal." He or she also charters new businesses, regulates the securities industry within Indiana, runs state elections and provides a number of services to the state's automobile dealers. The secretary of state also provides a variety of educational materials, from guides instructing entrepreneurs how to start a new business to voter and candidate registration information.^[6]

Divisions[edit]

The Office of the Secretary of State has four divisions:

Election Division - responsible for overseeing elections, registering candidates, and monitoring campaign finance.
Business Services Division - charters corporations, registers trademarks, notaries public, and liens under the Uniform Commercial Code, and issues apostilles.
Securities Division - oversees the state's securities industry, as well as mortgage brokers, retirement facilities, and collection agencies. It is also responsible for administering state and federal securities laws.
Dealer Services Division - responsible for the oversight and regulation of motor vehicle dealerships, including dealers for automobiles, watercraft, off-road vehicles and automobile salvage.^[7]

State budget[edit]

See also: Indiana state budget and finances

The Secretary of State's budget was $22,328,385 for Fiscal Year 2025.^[8]

Compensation[edit]

See also: Compensation of state executive officers

The salaries of executive officers in Indiana are determined by the Indiana State Legislature. In 2007, the Indiana Senate passed SB 401, which tied annual salary increases to increases received by state employees. State executive officials are not eligible for salary increases if state employees do not receive increases to their salaries.^[9]