Kansas. Secretary of State

The Secretary of State is a constitutional officer and agency, established in 1861 when Kansas became a state. The Secretary is an elected official for a four-year term and is second in line for succession to the office of Governor. The Secretary is responsible for many electoral, economic, and administrative duties of the state. The office is responsible for overseeing the administration of all national and state elections in Kansas, as well as the registration of lobbyists. The agency also maintains information on voter registration, candidate filing, campaign finances, election statistics, and information on past elections. The Secretary operates the Business Filing Center, which registers business entities, trademarks, trade names, and liens made pursuant to the Uniform Commercial Code. The secretary regulates a wide variety of businesses, including sports agents, trade unions, cemeteries, and funeral homes. The agency's Publications section offers a wide variety of information that is either produced or distributed by the office. These resources include the Kansas Directory, Lobbyist Directory, Legislative Directory, Kansas Administrative Regulations (K.A.R.s), Session Laws, and the Kansas Register, which is the official state newspaper. Additionally the secretary distributes Kansas Statutes Annotated (K.S.A.). The secretary also operates "Safe at Home", the state's Address Confidentiality Program, and conducts census adjustments. [Kansas Secretary of State. "Kansas Secretary of State." http://www.kssos.org/main.html (accessed April 21, 2009.)] [Secretary of State. Kansas Biennial Report. Topeka: Secretary of State, 1980.]