The Iowa Secretary of State is a constitutional officer of the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

 and is elected every four years. The Office of the Secretary of State is divided into four divisions: Elections and Voter Registration, Business Services, Administrative Services, and Communications and Publications. Elections and Voter Registration deals with supervising the 99 county auditors, elections, and voter registration. The division of the office helps the county auditors in telling them which election practices work best. The division also helps in increasing voter registration. The Business Services Division is a records center for businesses in Iowa. The Administrative Services Division and the Communications and Publications Division is involved in scheduling and providing media information, preservation of documents, recordkeeping, and publishing the Iowa Official Register and the Iowa Official Directory of Federal, State and County Officers. The Secretary of State's office is housed in the Lucas State Office Building in Des Moines.

List of Secretaries of State of Iowa

#	Name	Took Office	Left Office	Political Party
1	Elisha Cutler Jr.	1846	1848	Democratic Iowa Democratic Party The Iowa Democratic Party is the local branch of the Democratic Party in the state of Iowa.-Current elected officials:Iowa Democrats are in control of the Iowa Senate, one of the state's United States Senate seats, and three out of the state's five United States House of Representatives seats. ...
2	Josiah H. Bonney	1848	1850	Democratic Iowa Democratic Party The Iowa Democratic Party is the local branch of the Democratic Party in the state of Iowa.-Current elected officials:Iowa Democrats are in control of the Iowa Senate, one of the state's United States Senate seats, and three out of the state's five United States House of Representatives seats. ...
3	George W. McClearly	1850	1856	Democratic Iowa Democratic Party The Iowa Democratic Party is the local branch of the Democratic Party in the state of Iowa.-Current elected officials:Iowa Democrats are in control of the Iowa Senate, one of the state's United States Senate seats, and three out of the state's five United States House of Representatives seats. ...
4	Elijah Sells	1856	1863	Republican Republican Party of Iowa The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
5	James Wright	1863	1867	Republican Republican Party of Iowa The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
6	Ed Wright	1867	1873	Republican Republican Party of Iowa The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
7	Josiah T. Young	1873	1879	Republican Republican Party of Iowa The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
8	John A. T. Hull John A. T. Hull John Albert Tiffin Hull was a ten-term Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 7th congressional district...	1879	1885	Republican Republican Party of Iowa The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
9	Frank D. Jackson Frank D. Jackson Frank Darr Jackson was the 15th Governor of Iowa, serving one term from 1894-96. -Biography:...	1885	1891	Republican Republican Party of Iowa The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
10	William M. McFarland	1891	1897	Republican Republican Party of Iowa The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
11	George L. Dobson	1897	1901	Republican Republican Party of Iowa The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
12	William B. Martin	1901	1907	Republican Republican Party of Iowa The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
13	William C. Hayward	1907	1913	Republican Republican Party of Iowa The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
14	William S. Allen William S. Allen William S. Allen was the Iowa Secretary of State from 1913 until 1918....	1913	1919	Republican Republican Party of Iowa The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
15	W. C. Ramsay	1919	1928	Republican Republican Party of Iowa The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
16	Ed M. Smith	1928	1931	Republican Republican Party of Iowa The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
17	G. C. Greenwalt	1931	1933	Republican Republican Party of Iowa The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
18	Ola Babcock Miller	1933	1937	Democratic Iowa Democratic Party The Iowa Democratic Party is the local branch of the Democratic Party in the state of Iowa.-Current elected officials:Iowa Democrats are in control of the Iowa Senate, one of the state's United States Senate seats, and three out of the state's five United States House of Representatives seats. ...
19	Robert E. O'Brien	1937	1939	Democratic Iowa Democratic Party The Iowa Democratic Party is the local branch of the Democratic Party in the state of Iowa.-Current elected officials:Iowa Democrats are in control of the Iowa Senate, one of the state's United States Senate seats, and three out of the state's five United States House of Representatives seats. ...
20	Earl G. Miller	1939	1943	Republican Republican Party of Iowa The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
21	Wayne N. Ropes	1943	1947	Republican Republican Party of Iowa The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
22	Rolo H. Bergeson	1947	1949	Republican Republican Party of Iowa The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
23	Melvin D. Synhorst Melvin D. Synhorst Melvin D. Synhorst was the Iowa Secretary of State from 1949 to 1965 and from 1967 to 1980. Appointed on November 2, 1948 and on November 8, 1966, he was a native of Sioux County. Serving for the two years between his terms was Gary L. Cameron. Synhorst's second term ended at his resignation;...	1949	1965	Republican Republican Party of Iowa The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
24	Gary L. Cameron	1965	1966	Democratic Iowa Democratic Party The Iowa Democratic Party is the local branch of the Democratic Party in the state of Iowa.-Current elected officials:Iowa Democrats are in control of the Iowa Senate, one of the state's United States Senate seats, and three out of the state's five United States House of Representatives seats. ...
25	Melvin D. Synhorst Melvin D. Synhorst Melvin D. Synhorst was the Iowa Secretary of State from 1949 to 1965 and from 1967 to 1980. Appointed on November 2, 1948 and on November 8, 1966, he was a native of Sioux County. Serving for the two years between his terms was Gary L. Cameron. Synhorst's second term ended at his resignation;...	1967	1980	Republican Republican Party of Iowa The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
26	Mary Jane Odell	1980	1987	Republican Republican Party of Iowa The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
27	Elaine Baxter Elaine Baxter Elaine Bland Baxter is a politician and school teacher from Iowa. She currently resides in Burlington, Iowa.-Family:She is the daughter of Clarence Arthur Bland and Margaret Clark Bland....	1987	1994	Democratic Iowa Democratic Party The Iowa Democratic Party is the local branch of the Democratic Party in the state of Iowa.-Current elected officials:Iowa Democrats are in control of the Iowa Senate, one of the state's United States Senate seats, and three out of the state's five United States House of Representatives seats. ...
28	Paul Pate Paul Pate Paul Pate is an American politician from Iowa.Pate is a former mayor of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and former Iowa Secretary of State. Pate also served in the Iowa State Senate for six years...	1995	1998	Republican Republican Party of Iowa The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
29	Chester J. Culver	1999	2006	Democratic Iowa Democratic Party The Iowa Democratic Party is the local branch of the Democratic Party in the state of Iowa.-Current elected officials:Iowa Democrats are in control of the Iowa Senate, one of the state's United States Senate seats, and three out of the state's five United States House of Representatives seats. ...
30	Michael A. Mauro	2007	2011	Democratic Iowa Democratic Party The Iowa Democratic Party is the local branch of the Democratic Party in the state of Iowa.-Current elected officials:Iowa Democrats are in control of the Iowa Senate, one of the state's United States Senate seats, and three out of the state's five United States House of Representatives seats. ...
31	Matt Schultz Matt Schultz Matt Schultz is an attorney and the current Iowa Secretary of State. He was a member of the Council Bluffs City Council, a position he has held from 2005 to 2011. On October 31, 2009, he announced his candidacy for the office of secretary of state and challenge incumbent Democrat Michael Mauro for...	2011		Republican Republican Party of Iowa The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...