Illinois Secretary of State

	Illinois Secretary of State
	; ; ;
	General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$163,200
2024 FY Budget:	$885,150,124
Term limits:	None
	Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Illinois Constitution, Article V, Section 1
Selection Method:	Elected
	Current Officeholder
	Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias; Democratic Party; Assumed office: 2023-01-09
	Elections
Next election:	November 3, 2026
Last election:	November 8, 2022
	Other Illinois Executive Offices
	Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Comptroller • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Director • Insurance Director • Natural Resources Director • Labor Director • Illinois Commerce Commission

The Secretary of State for Illinois is the keeper of the official records, laws and Great Seal of the U.S. state of Illinois. These duties have remained unchanged since Illinois became a state in 1818.

By statute, the Illinois Secretary of State is tasked with the duty of issuing licenses to Illinois-registered motor vehicles and their drivers. Enforcement of these duties has made the secretary of state's office a key bureau in the enforcement of driving-under-the-influence or DUI laws. In addition, the secretary of state is the Illinois state librarian and is the custodian of the Illinois state capitol.^[1]

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

Current officeholder

The current Illinois Secretary of State is Alexi Giannoulias (D). Giannoulias assumed office in 2023.

Authority

The secretary of state's office is authorized by Article V, Section 1 of the Illinois Constitution.

Constitution of Illinois, Article V, Section 1

Officers: The Executive Branch shall include a Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller and Treasurer elected by the electors of the State. They shall keep the public records and maintain a residence at the seat of government during their terms of office.

Qualifications

Here is a list of the standard qualifications necessary under Illinois State Law in order to be considered for the Office of Secretary of State:

To be eligible to hold the office of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, comptroller or treasurer, a person must be:

a United States citizen, at least twenty-five (25) years old
a resident of this State for the three years preceding his election^[2]

Elections

Illinois state government organizational chart

According to Article V, Section 2 of the state Constitution, the secretary of state shall hold office for four years beginning on the second Monday of January after their election and until their successors are qualified. They shall be elected at the general election in 1978 and every four years thereafter.

2022

See also: Illinois Secretary of State election, 2022

General election

General election for Illinois Secretary of State

Alexi Giannoulias defeated Dan Brady, Jon Stewart, and Michelle Turney in the general election for Illinois Secretary of State on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Alexi Giannoulias (D)	54.3	2,220,713
	Dan Brady (R)	43.6	1,783,070
	Jon Stewart (L)	2.1	87,092
	Michelle Turney (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	73

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,090,948
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Jesse White (L)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Illinois Secretary of State

Alexi Giannoulias defeated Anna Valencia, David Moore, and Sidney Moore in the Democratic primary for Illinois Secretary of State on June 28, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Alexi Giannoulias	52.1	452,221
	Anna Valencia	35.0	303,671
	David Moore	9.0	77,983
	Sidney Moore	3.9	33,762

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 867,637
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Michael Hastings (D)
Pat Dowell (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Illinois Secretary of State

Dan Brady defeated John Milhiser in the Republican primary for Illinois Secretary of State on June 28, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Dan Brady	76.4	550,700
	John Milhiser	23.6	170,496

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 721,196
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Michelle Turney (R)