Office Overview

The Secretary of State is an elected member of the Executive Branch of Colorado's state government. Elected every four years, the Secretary of State serves as the chief executive of an office that oversees and administers many laws including Colorado's business and commercial statutes pertaining to profit and nonprofit corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, trade names, secured transactions under the Uniform Commercial Code and miscellaneous liens, Colorado Election Code, Voter Registration Law, Campaign Finance Laws, Lobbyist Regulation, Colorado Charitable Solicitations Act, Bingo and Raffles Laws, and Notaries Public Laws.

These varied duties are divided primarily among the Business, Elections, and Licensing Divisions.

The Department of State is funded primarily by user fees, which are among the lowest in the nation.

The basic mission of the Department of State is to collect, secure, and make accessible a wide variety of public records, ensure the integrity of elections, and enhance commerce.

The Secretary of State is also a member of, and chairs, the three-member Title Setting Board, which sets the ballot titles for statewide initiatives.

Department of State Responsibilities:

Business Division: Files documents relating to various business organizations and business names; files trade names for certain business entities; registers trade marks; files financing statements, notices of security interests in agricultural products; federal tax liens; and other miscellaneous statutory liens; performs searches of those records; provides copies of filed documents; issues related certificates; and provides pertinent educational services.

Licensing Division: Issues Bingo/Raffles licenses and inspects facilities and operations of these games to ensure compliance with Bingo/Raffle laws, commissions notaries public and administers the Notary law, collects and disseminates information filed by charitable organizations that solicit contributions in Colorado and their professional fundraisers, manages the Colorado Administrative Rules Code, and provides rulemaking and guidance for state agencies under the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) Program.

Elections Division: Supervises elections, maintains statewide voter registration file, verifies initiative petition signatures, and administers the Campaign Finance Laws; serves as the filing office for unincorporated municipalities and for conflict of interest disclosure statements; and registers lobbyists.

Administration Division: Provides management and central support services for the Department of State such as budgeting, accounting, and human resources; monitors the use of the State Seal; certifies the interest rate on appealed money judgments; files Acts passed by the Legislature; and conveys information within our office to the public; plans and monitors legislation that affects the Department of State; and responds to inquires from the press and public.

Information Technology Division: Supports the information systems needs of the entire Secretary of State's office. Maintains the Departmental infrastructure consisting of multiple servers, personal computers, networking equipment, firewall, telephony, peripherals, and other information technology equipment to support the data and imaging needs of the Department. Also supports the web presence of the Secretary of State.