Secretary of State

The basics

Term

4 years, beginning Jan. 1 after the election. ^[1]

Term limit

No more than eight years in any twelve-year period (Ind. Const. Art. 6, Sec. 1). ^{[3, 1]}

Who may stand

Party nominees are chosen at state party conventions, not in the primary (IC 3-8-4-2); must post an official bond before taking office. ^[1]

On the 2026 ballot

1 race in Indiana

What the law puts in this job

• Chief election official of the state (except National Voter Registration Act coordination, which belongs to the Election Division co-directors); certifies winners of state offices to the governor; chairs the State Recount Commission. ^[1]
• Registers businesses (INBiz), UCC filings and trademarks; commissions notaries; regulates securities through a commissioner the Secretary appoints; licenses auto dealers. ^{[2, 1]}
• Keeps the enrolled acts and other official state records and affixes the state seal to the governor's official acts (IC 4-5-1). ^[1]

What the officeholder decides

• Request to the 2027 General Assembly for FY2028-29 (agency submissions were due to SBA Aug. 24, 2026; Budget Committee hearings Nov.-Dec. 2026), including whether to seek again a Statewide Voter Registration System replacement and election security money. ^[7]
• Administration of the 2027 municipal elections, 2028 presidential primary and general election, and 2030 elections with the Election Division and 92 county election boards; voter-list maintenance and citizenship-verification procedures under HEA 1264-2024 and HEA 1680-2025. ^[7]
• Election Division co-directors' current terms end Dec. 31, 2026; the governor appoints them on party-chair recommendation. ^[7]
• INBiz modernization and business-filing fraud rules (HB 1593-2025); securities enforcement priorities and use of the restitution fund. ^[7]
• Whether to support an outside audit of the office (candidates differed on this in 2026 debates). ^[7]

Who the officeholder answers to

• Voters; the General Assembly controls the office's appropriations, and since the 2025 budget its dedicated funds need State Budget Committee review to be spent above $1 lines; the State Board of Accounts audits it. ^{[1, 6]}

What it pays, and who sets that

• 66% of a Supreme Court justice's salary since Jan. 1, 2025 (IC 4-2-1-1.5); reported as $145,876 for 2025. ^{[4, 5]}

What the state spends on it

• Appropriation for each of FY2026 and FY2027 (HEA 1001-2025): Secretary of State $10.8 million; Indiana Election Division $7.4 million. ^[8]
• Change from the previous budget: SOS General Fund fell from $10.76M to $8.37M a year (Election Security halved to $1.59M; Voter Education Outreach $750K to $250K; Administration $6.08M to $5.78M); dedicated funds moved to $1 lines needing Budget Committee augmentation. The office's Nov. 2024 request for 8 staff and a $20M Statewide Voter Registration System replacement was not funded. ^[8]

Questions worth asking a candidate

Ours, not a questionnaire anyone answered. They come from what the job actually involves.

• The Election Division is run by two co-directors of different parties appointed by the governor. Which election decisions would you make alone, and which need their consent?
• What would you ask the 2027 General Assembly to fund, and what would you cut?
• How would you measure whether business filings and securities enforcement are working well?
• Would you support an outside audit of the office? Why or why not?

Sources

Office research by Legal Insights (Oct. 13, 2026): Indiana Code 2026 edition, state agencies and county budgets. Nothing here rates an officeholder or candidate.