Wyoming Secretary of State

Wyoming Secretary of State
General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$92,000
2022-24 FY Budget:	$9,031,413
Term limits:	None
Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Wyoming Constitution, Article 4, Section 11
Selection Method:	Elected
Current Officeholder
Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray Republican Party Assumed office: January 2, 2023
Elections
Next election:	November 3, 2026
Last election:	November 8, 2022
Other Wyoming Executive Offices
Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditors: Auditor • Director • Superintendent of Education • Director of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commission

The Wyoming Secretary of State is an elected executive position in the Wyoming state government. The secretary is the chief election officer in the state. Responsible for handling the business affairs of the state, the secretary is the keeper of the Great Seal of Wyoming and serves as the acting governor when the governor is not available.

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

Current officeholder

The current Wyoming Secretary of State is Chuck Gray (R). Gray assumed office in 2023.

Authority

The secretary of state's authority is derived from Article 4 of the Wyoming Constitution.

Article 4, Section 11:

There shall be chosen by the qualified electors of the state at the times and places of choosing members of the legislature, a secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, and superintendent of public instruction...

Qualifications

Article 4, Section 6 of the state constitution also establishes the qualifications of the office:

There shall be chosen by the qualified electors of the state at the times and places of choosing members of the legislature, a secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, and superintendent of public instruction, who shall have attained the age of twenty-five (25) years respectively, shall be citizens of the United States, and shall have the qualifications of state electors...

• at least twenty-five (25) years of age
• a citizen of the United States
• qualified as an elector in the state of Wyoming

Vacancies

Article 4, Section 7 of the state constitution grants the governor the authority to fill any office that becomes vacant, so long as there is not already a constitutional or legal method for filling the vacancy.

Duties

The Wyoming Secretary of State is the custodian of the great seal of Wyoming. They affix the seal to and countersign commissions, official acts of the governor, and other paperwork when required by law.

Additional duties of the secretary of state are outlined in Title 9, Chapter 1, Article 3 of the Wyoming Code. The secretary is the custodian of and preserves:

1. All the public records, documents, acts and resolutions of the legislatures of the territory and state of Wyoming;
2. All proclamations of the governor proclaiming the effectiveness of constitutional amendments, corporate revocations and any other proclamation designated as a permanent record by the governor. The secretary of state shall preserve all other proclamations of the governor for one (1) year and then deliver them to the department of state parks and cultural resources for destruction or preservation as it deems desirable;
3. Property of the state when no other provision is made by law;
4. Copies of all clemency documents signed by the governor, including pardons, commutations of sentence, reprieves, remissions of fine or forfeiture, and restorations of civil rights.

Elections

Wyoming state government organizational chart

The office of Secretary of State is elected every four years, in mid-term election years. In Wyoming, secretary of state elections are held in 2022, 2026, and 2030.

Term limits

There are no term limits for this office.

2022

See also: Wyoming Secretary of State election, 2022

General election

General election for Wyoming Secretary of State

Chuck Gray won election in the general election for Wyoming Secretary of State on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chuck Gray (R)	91.6	147,402
		Other/Write-in votes	8.4	13,573

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 160,975
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Wyoming Secretary of State

Chuck Gray defeated Tara Nethercott, R. Mark Armstrong, and Dan Dockstader (Unofficially withdrew) in the Republican primary for Wyoming Secretary of State on August 16, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chuck Gray	48.3	75,972
		Tara Nethercott	40.1	63,069
		R. Mark Armstrong	9.1	14,304
		Dan Dockstader (Unofficially withdrew)	2.3	3,698
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	410

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 157,453
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2018

See also: Wyoming Secretary of State election, 2018

General election

General election for Wyoming Secretary of State

Incumbent Edward Buchanan defeated James Byrd and Kit Carson in the general election for Wyoming Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Edward Buchanan (R)	68.8	137,026
		James Byrd (D)	26.8	53,355
		Kit Carson (L)	4.3	8,561
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	156

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 199,098
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Wyoming Secretary of State

James Byrd advanced from the Democratic primary for Wyoming Secretary of State on August 21, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		James Byrd	100.0	16,754

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 16,754
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Wyoming Secretary of State

Incumbent Edward Buchanan advanced from the Republican primary for Wyoming Secretary of State on August 21, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Edward Buchanan	100.0	94,603

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 94,603
= 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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Full history

2014

See also: Wyoming secretary of state election, 2014

Republican Ed Murray won election on November 4, 2014.

Secretary of State of Wyoming, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Ed Murray	76.6%	119,772
	Constitution	Jennifer Young	12.1%	18,918
	Libertarian	Kit Carson	10.8%	16,858
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.5%	859
Total Votes				156,407
Election results via Wyoming Secretary of State

To view the electoral history dating back to 2002 for the office of Wyoming Secretary of State, click [show] to expand the section.

2010 See also: Wyoming Secretary of State election, 2010 On November 2, 2010, Max Maxfield won re-election to the office of Wyoming Secretary of State. He defeated Andrew Simons (D) and Candice De Laat (L) in the general election. Wyoming Secretary of State, 2010 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Max Maxfield Incumbent 76.1% 140,087      Democratic Andrew Simons 19.5% 35,873      Libertarian Candice De Laat 4.4% 8,045      Write-Ins Various 0.1% 151 Total Votes 184,156 Election results via Wyoming Secretary of State. 2006 On November 7, 2006, Max Maxfield won election to the office of Wyoming Secretary of State. He defeated Dennis Brossman (L) in the general election. Wyoming Secretary of State, 2006 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Max Maxfield 82% 148,210      Libertarian Dennis Brossman 18% 32,551 Total Votes 180,761 Election results via Wyoming Secretary of State. 2002 On November 5, 2002, Joseph Meyer won re-election to the office of Wyoming Secretary of State. He defeated Dennis Brossman (L) in the general election. Wyoming Secretary of State, 2002 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Joseph Meyer Incumbent 82.4% 139,721      Libertarian Dennis Brossman 17.6% 29,751 Total Votes 169,472 Election results via Wyoming Secretary of State.

Divisions

As of January 2021, the office of the secretary of state was composed of five offices:

• The Administration Division "provides information technology resources and support to the Office as well [as] manages the fiscal and personnel responsibilities of the Office."
• The Business Division maintains business records, including trademarks and trade names.
• The Compliance Division "oversees Wyoming's securities industry as well as the activities of Commercial Registered Agents."
• The Election Division oversees all elections in the state. The division maintains records of campaign finance information, election results, and registered lobbyists.
• The Executive Offices Division "provides the leadership and direction to the Office as a whole."

State budget

See also: Wyoming state budget and finances

The budget for the Secretary of State's Office for the 2022-2024 fiscal biennium was $9,031,413.

Compensation

Title 9, Chapter 3, Article 1 (§9‑3-101) of the Wyoming Statutes sets the secretary of state's annual salary at $92,000. The amount of compensation the secretary of state receives is fixed by law, pursuant to Article 4, Section 13 of the Wyoming Constitution. Under this article, the salaries of the secretary of state and other constitutionally specified executives "shall not be increased or diminished during the period for which they were elected, and all fees and profits arising from any of the said offices shall be covered into the state treasury."

2022

In 2022, the officer's salary was $92,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2021

In 2021, the secretary of state received a salary of $92,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2020

In 2020, the secretary of state received a salary of $92,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2019

In 2019, the secretary of state received a salary of $92,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2018

In 2018, the secretary of state received a salary of $92,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2017

In 2017, the secretary of state received a salary of $92,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2016

In 2016, the secretary of state received a salary of $92,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2015

In 2015, the secretary of state received a salary of $92,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2014

In 2014, the secretary received a salary of $92,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2013

In 2013, the secretary received a salary of $92,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2010

In 2010, the secretary received a salary of $92,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

Historical officeholders

Wyoming officially became a state on July 10, 1890. On November 8, 1890, Amos W. Barber became the first Wyoming secretary of state. Prior to that date, officeholders were known as Wyoming secretaries of the territory.

There have been eight secretaries of the territory and 22 secretaries of state. Of those 30 officeholders, 23 have been Republican and seven have been Democratic.

List of officeholders from 1869-present
#	Name	Took office	Left office	Party
1	Edward Merwin Lee	4/14/1869	5/25/1870	Republican
2	Herman Glafcke	5/25/1870	5/1/1873	Republican
3	Jason B. Brown	5/1/1873	3/17/1875	Democratic
4	George W. French	3/17/1875	2/25/1879	Republican
5	Albertis Worth Spates	2/25/1879	4/1/1880	Republican
6	Elliot S.N. Morgan	4/1/1880	4/25/1887	Republican
7	Samuel D. Shannon	4/25/1887	7/1/1889	Democratic
8	John W. Meldrum	7/1/1889	11/8/1890	Republican
9	Amos W. Barber	11/8/1890	January 1895	Republican
10	Charles W. Burdick	January 1895	January 1899	Republican
11	Fenimore Chatterton	January 1899	January 1907	Republican
12	William Schnitger	January 1907	January 1911	Republican
13	Frank L. Houx	January 1911	January 1919	Democratic
14	William E. Chaplin	January 1919	January 1923	Republican
15	Frank E. Lucas	January 1923	January 1927	Republican
16	Alonzo M. Clark	January 1927	January 1935	Republican
17	Lester C. Hunt	January 1935	January 1943	Democratic
18	Mart T. Christensen	January 1943	10/12/1944	Republican
19	William "Scotty" Jack	10/12/1944	January 1947	Democratic
20	Arthur G. Crane	January 1947	January 1951	Republican
21	C.J. "Doc" Rogers	January 1951	January 1955	Republican
22	Everett T. Copenhaver	January 1955	January 1959	Republican
23	Jack R. Gage	January 1959	January 1963	Democratic
24	Thyra Thomson	January 1963	January 1987	Republican
25	Kathy Karpan	January 1987	January 1995	Democratic
26	Diana J. Ohman	January 1995	January 1999	Republican
27	Joseph B. Meyer	January 1999	January 2007	Republican
28	Max Maxfield	January 2007	January 2015	Republican
29	Ed Murray	January 2015	February 2018	Republican
30	Edward Buchanan	March 2018	September 2022	Republican

State profile

Demographic data for Wyoming
	Wyoming	U.S.
Total population:	586,555	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	97,093	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	91%	73.6%
Black/African American:	1.1%	12.6%
Asian:	0.9%	5.1%
Native American:	2.2%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0.1%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.7%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	9.6%	17.1%
Bildung
High school graduation rate:	92.3%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	25.7%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$58,840	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	12.7%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Wyoming. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Wyoming

Wyoming voted Republican in all six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.

More Wyoming coverage on Ballotpedia

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• United States congressional delegations from Wyoming
• Public policy in Wyoming
• Endorsers in Wyoming
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Contact information

Wyoming Secretary of State
Herschler Building East
122 W 25th St
Suites 100 and 101
Cheyenne, WY 82002-0020

Phone: (307) 777-7378
E-mail: [email protected]

External links

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