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Correspondence and Subject Files of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, 2014-2022, Accession 53505. State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.
Accession 53505 was transferred by the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Jan 21, 2022.
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. Currently the Secretary of the Commonwealth is responsible for gubernatorial appointments, clemency and restoration of civil rights requests and extraditions. Additional activities include: serving as ex officio Secretary to the Governor; serving as 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 lobbyists, 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.
Correspondence and subject files of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, 2014-2022, cover the administrations of Governor Terrence McAuliffe (2014-2018) and Governor Ralph Northam (2018-2022) and there is some overlap between the records of the two administrations. Includes records of Secretary of the Commonwealth Levar Stoney (2014-2016), Secretary of the Commonwealth Kelly Thomasson (2016-2022) and Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth Traci DeShazor (2016-2022). Records may include agendas, correspondence, executive order, legislation, meeting records, minutes, notes, oaths of office, presentations, proposals, regulations, reports and talking points.
Topics include but are not limited to: appointments, census / Virginia Complete the Count Commission, electronic notarization, Indian Advisory Board , legislation, Millennial Civic Engagement Task Force, restoration of rights, and the Commonwealth Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Includes correspondence and subject files of Secretary of the Commonwealth Levar Stoney (2014-2016) and Secretary of the Commonwealth Kelly Thomasson (2016-2018) during the administration of Governor Terrence McAuliffe. Includes files for appointments, electronic notarization, executive orders, legislation, Millennial Civic Engagement Task Force, Commonwealth Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and restoration of rights, among others. Appointment files consist mainly of recommendation letters for appointment or reappointment to college and university boards of visitors. Commonwealth Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion include correspondence, meeting records, oaths of office for commission members, planning documentation, and talking points. Legislative files include legislation, legislative action summaries, and planning documentation. Millennial Civic Engagement Task Force records include correspondence, forum and planning documentation, meeting records, and reports. Restoration of rights files include correspondence, and announcement records related to Gov. McAuliffe's Restoration of Rights Order, 2016, as well as policy change and research documentation.
Correspondence and subject files of Deputy Secretary Traci DeShazor, 2016-2017. Records of the Commonwealth Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion include a draft interim report, 2017 Dec; signed oaths of office for commission members, 2017 Oct; and a memo related to the anniversary of the tragic events in Charlottesville, undated. Millenial Civic Engagement Task Force records include a 2017 Report on the State of Millennial Civic Engagement in the Commonwealth; Proposal to Re-establish a Campus Compact, 2017; proposals, meeting records, and signed oaths of office for task force members, 2017 July.
Correspondence and subject files of Secretary of the Commonwealth Kelly Thomasson, 2018-2022, include agendas, briefings, correspondence, executive orders, invitations, legislation, minutes, notes, oaths, presentations, proposals, publications, regulations, and reports.
Topics include, but are not limited to: appointments, Census / Virginia Complete the Count Commission, Indian Advisory Board and Virginia indian tribes, state seal of Virginia, and the Commonwealth Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Appointment files consists of letters of recommendation for appointment or reappointment to various boards and commissions, the majority of which are for college and university boards of visitors. The Virginia Complete the Count Commission was established to develop and coordinate a census outreach program to increase awareness about the census and motivate residents to respond. Records document monthly meetings with agendas, minutes and related attachements, and also includes original oaths of commission members. Indian Advisory Board records document meetings with agendas, minutes and related attachments, and include information on tribal recognition criteria. Also includes additional files Virginia tribes that include briefings, meeting records, and reports.
Records of Deputy Secretary Traci DeShazor include correspondence, Governor Decision Requests, meeting records, oaths and reports. Topics include but are not limited to: authentications, census, Commission of African American History Education in the Commonwealth, and the state seal of Virginia. Commission records include original oaths of members. Governor Decision Requests include documentation on the anniversary of the tragic events in Charlottesville (2018) and the Latinx Summit (2019).