Secretary of State of California, Constitutional office in Sacramento, United States
The Secretary of State of California leads an office responsible for managing statewide elections, registering business filings, and maintaining official governmental records. This department handles voter registration, ballot processing, and document preservation for the state.
William Van Voorhies served as the first person to hold this position in 1849 when California joined the United States. The office evolved over time as the state's administrative needs and electoral processes grew more complex.
The Secretary maintains the California State Archives, preserving documents and artifacts that tell the story of California's governmental development.
The office offers online services for voter registration, ballot tracking, and business license applications that residents can access from home. These digital tools make it easy for people to complete essential administrative tasks without visiting an office location.
The office assigns official chapter numbers to bills passed by the state legislature, creating the permanent legal record of all state laws. This numbering system is how every law enacted in the state gets formally documented and referenced.
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