Object Type: Folder
In Folder: State Government Records
The Office of the Great Seal is part of the Bureau of Elections in the Michigan Department of State. It is responsible for protecting and maintaining the Great Seal and providing for its proper use, maintaining records filed with the Secretary of State, certifying documents and commissioning notaries public.
The Bureau of History was responsible for archives, museums, archaeology, historic preservation, and history-related publications for state government.
The Michigan Department of State is headed by the Secretary of State who is elected to four-year terms and can serve a maximum of two terms. The secretary of state is the chief motor vehicle administrator and chief election officer for the State of Michigan and is a voting member of several state boards and commissions. In the event of concurrent vacancies in the office of governor and lieutenant governor, including absence from the state, the secretary of state serves as governor.
The Bureau of Elections is responsible for overseeing elections in Michigan and relevant programs, including campaign-finance and lobbyist disclosure. The bureau oversees the coordination of 83 county clerks, county canvassing boards, election commissions, and 1,500 city and township clerks. The elections director serves as secretary to the Board of State Canvassers, a constitutional body responsible for canvassing petitions to place statewide ballot questions before voters and for canvassing nominating petitions and election results for all statewide offices, certain congressional and legislative offices and all judicial offices.
