Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth Correspondence with Electoral Boards, 1904-1911. Accession 24960, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Transferred from the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, 18 May 1959.

This accession contained materials from three offices: the Commission on Economy and Efficiency; the Secretary of the Budget; and the Secretary of the Commonwealth. The Electoral Board Correspondence is one part of this accession.

Historical Information

The Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth has evolved from early colonial times when there existed a Secretary of the Colony. Thomas Nelson held the position of the first Secretary of Virginia in 1776. Early Secretaries were elected by the public. An Act of the General Assembly in 1920 changed the election to a joint vote of the General Assembly. In a 1930 Act the duties of the Secretary were redefined with the Secretary of the Commonwealth serving as the ex officio secretary of the Governor, as custodian of many official State records, and as keeper of the Greater and Lesser Seals of the Commonwealth. The office of the Secretary has gradually acquired other functions, such as: service of out-of-state civil process; appointment and regulation of notaries public; and registration and oversight of lobbyists. The Office became a gubernatorial appointment subsequent to a 1958 Act of the Assembly. The Secretary of the Commonwealth is under the jurisdiction of the Governor's Office.

The Secretary is appointed by the Governor for a term of four years. The Secretary has an Executive assistant and an Assistant who is in charge of prison mail and research duties. The Chief Clerk is responsible for the Governor's Journal and extraditions and acts as general office manager. Major activities are: serving as ex officio Secretary to the Governor; serving as the keeper of the seals of the Commonwealth; compiling and publishing the annual Blue Book; commissioning and regulating notary publics, including the publication of a Notary Handbook and conduct of disciplinary hearings; promulgating the lobbying disclosure requirements, registration of lobbyist, and recording of lobbying reports; servicing the civil process of out-of-state defendants and other parties; and authenticating and certifying the records of the courts and of any state agency.

Scope and Content Information

Contains correspondence with electoral boards, including certifications for local electoral boards.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by jurisdiction and chronologically within each folder.