Illinois Secretary of State

	Illinois Secretary of State
	; ; ;
	General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$206,600
2026 FY Budget:	$831,656,681
Term limits:	None
	Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Illinois Constitution, Article V, Section 1
Selection Method:	Elected
	Current Officeholder(s)
	Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias; Democratic Party; Assumed office: January 9, 2023
	Elections
Next election:	2026
Last election:	2022
	Other Illinois Executive Offices
	Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Comptroller • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Director • Insurance Director • Natural Resources Director • Labor Director • Illinois Commerce Commission

The Secretary of State for Illinois is the keeper of the official records, laws and Great Seal of the U.S. state of Illinois. These duties have remained unchanged since Illinois became a state in 1818.

By statute, the Illinois Secretary of State is tasked with the duty of issuing licenses to Illinois-registered motor vehicles and their drivers. Enforcement of these duties has made the secretary of state's office a key bureau in the enforcement of driving-under-the-influence or DUI laws. In addition, the secretary of state is the Illinois state librarian and is the custodian of the Illinois state capitol.^[1]

Illinois has a Democratic triplex. The Democratic Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.

Current officeholder

The current Illinois Secretary of State is Alexi Giannoulias (D). Giannoulias assumed office in 2023.

Authority

The secretary of state's office is authorized by Article V, Section 1 of the Illinois Constitution.

Constitution of Illinois, Article V, Section 1

Officers: The Executive Branch shall include a Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller and Treasurer elected by the electors of the State. They shall keep the public records and maintain a residence at the seat of government during their terms of office.

Qualifications

Here is a list of the standard qualifications necessary under Illinois State Law in order to be considered for the Office of Secretary of State:

To be eligible to hold the office of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, comptroller or treasurer, a person must be:

a United States citizen, at least twenty-five (25) years old
a resident of this State for the three years preceding his election^[2]

Elections

According to Article V, Section 2 of the state Constitution, the secretary of state shall hold office for four years beginning on the second Monday of January after their election and until their successors are qualified. They shall be elected at the general election in 1978 and every four years thereafter.

Election results

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Illinois Secretary of State election, 2026 (March 17 Democratic primary)

Illinois Secretary of State election, 2026 (March 17 Republican primary)

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

General election for Illinois Secretary of State

Incumbent Alexi Giannoulias (D) and Diane Harris (R) are running in the general election for Illinois Secretary of State on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Alexi Giannoulias (D)
		Diane Harris (R)

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Jeffrey Schiefelbein (G)

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Illinois Secretary of State

Incumbent Alexi Giannoulias (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Illinois Secretary of State on March 17, 2026.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Alexi Giannoulias	100.0	1,171,435

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,171,435
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Illinois Secretary of State

Diane Harris (R) defeated Walter Adamczyk (R) in the Republican primary for Illinois Secretary of State on March 17, 2026.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Diane Harris	53.0	279,727
	Walter Adamczyk	47.0	248,198

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 527,925
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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