Current Secretary of State
Yes, Kansas has a Secretary of State. The current Secretary of State is Scott Schwab, former Speaker pro tempore of the Kansas House of Representatives. He was sworn in on January 14, 2019.
Historical Background of the Office
The first Secretary of State for Kansas was John Winter Robinson, originally from Litchfield, Maine. Robinson settled in Manhattan, Kansas in 1857. He was elected in December 1859 in anticipation of statehood for Kansas. Robinson was sworn in after Kansas was admitted to the Union in February 1861. Robinson was impeached in February 1862, along with the governor and state auditor due to a bond scandal. He was convicted in June 1862 and removed from office, becoming the first state executive branch official impeached and removed from office in U.S. history.
Role and Elections
The Secretary of State is elected every four years. The term begins the second Monday in January after the November election. Kansas law does not impose term limits. If the position becomes vacant, the governor appoints someone to serve the remainder of the term.
The Secretary of State oversees all state and federal elections in Kansas. The office is responsible for the administration of elections. Kansas has a divided government. The Republican Party controls the offices of attorney general and secretary of state.
Functions and Contact Information
The Secretary of State’s office provides:
- Information on regulations, certificates, licenses, business searches, etc.
- Ability to search for business entity names to check availability.
The Secretary of State administers business structures, contracts, procedures, and trademarks. The office maintains records of business actions and information.
Contact information:
120 SW 10th Ave
Topeka, KS 66612
Phone: 785-296-4564
Website: www.sos.ks.gov
State Incorporation and Business Filing
Kansas was admitted to the Union on January 29, 1861, as the 34th state. Kansas has 627 incorporated cities. By state statute, cities are divided into three classes as determined by the population obtained "by any census of enumeration".
Forming a corporation in Kansas is achieved by filing the Articles of Incorporation with the Secretary of State. When naming your Kansas corporation, you will need to follow Kansas name requirements, complete a name search, and consider securing a domain name. For a calendar year taxpayer the due date for Kansas tax returns is April 15th.
Fun Fact
In Kansas, the most-iconic dish pairing is a bowl of chili with a homemade cinnamon roll.
Note: This summary has involved removing repetitive sentences and organizing the text under appropriate headings while applying Markdown formatting. No additional content changes were made.