Iowa Secretary of State

	Iowa Secretary of State
	; ; ;
	General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$103,212
2024 FY Budget:	$19,348,542
Term limits:	None
	Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Article 4, Section 22 of the Iowa Constitution
Selection Method:	Elected
	Current Officeholder
	Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate; Republican Party; Assumed office: January 1, 2015
	Elections
Next election:	November 3, 2026
Last election:	November 8, 2022
	Other Iowa Executive Offices
	Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Secretary of Agriculture • Director of Education • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Director • Labor Commissioner • Utilities Board

The Iowa Secretary of State is a constitutional officer of the state of Iowa and is elected every four years. The secretary of state serves as the state commissioner of elections, maintains corporations' records, registers trademarks, commissions notaries public and preserves original documents.^[1]

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

Current officeholder

The current officeholder is Republican Paul Pate.^[2] Pate assumed office on January 1, 2015, following his win in the general election on November 4, 2014.

Authority

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

Article IV, Section 22:

A secretary of state, an auditor of state and a treasurer of state shall be elected by the qualified electors at the same time that the governor is elected and for a four-year term commencing on the first day of January next after their election, and they shall perform such duties as may be provided by law.

Qualifications

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

Must be a citizen of the United States
Must be a legal resident of the state of Iowa

Elections

Iowa state government organizational chart

According to Article 4, Section 22 of the Iowa Constitution, the secretary of state, along with the treasurer and auditor, are elected to serve for a term of four years in length, which runs concurrently with the term of the governor. The election is held in November and the statewide official takes office the following January.

Article 4, Section 22:

A secretary of state, an auditor of state and a treasurer of state shall be elected by the qualified electors at the same time that the governor is elected and for a four-year term commencing on the first day of January next after their election, and they shall perform such duties as may be provided by law.

2022

See also: Iowa Secretary of State election, 2022

General election

General election for Iowa Secretary of State

Incumbent Paul Pate defeated Joel Miller in the general election for Iowa Secretary of State on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Paul Pate (R)	60.0	723,250
	Joel Miller (D)	39.9	480,474
	Other/Write-in votes	0.1	708

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,204,432
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Iowa Secretary of State

Joel Miller defeated Eric Van Lancker in the Democratic primary for Iowa Secretary of State on June 7, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Joel Miller	71.6	98,049
	Eric Van Lancker	28.2	38,646
	Other/Write-in votes	0.2	294

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 136,989
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Iowa Secretary of State

Incumbent Paul Pate advanced from the Republican primary for Iowa Secretary of State on June 7, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Paul Pate	99.7	174,513
	Other/Write-in votes	0.3	567

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 175,080
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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