The history of the Illinois Secretary of State's office begins in
1818, when Illinois entered the United States as the 21st state in the
Union. The Secretary of State originated as the keeper of state
records, laws, and the Great Seal of Illinois. The Illinois Secretary
of State's current responsibility for supervising the state library
system grew out of this original record-keeping role. The Secretary of
State is still the Keeper of the Great Seal of Illinois. An interesting
historical fact about this job duty is that an early Illinois Secretary
of State, Sharon Tyndale, actually had the seal modified. The Illinois
state seal was originally engraved with the Illinois state motto:
"State sovereignty-National Unity." After all of the blood and treasure
lost fighting against the doctrine of state's rights in the Civil War,
the first half of this motto did not sit well with Secretary of State
Tyndale. He had the seal re-engraved, with the word "Sovereignty"
written upside-down. This version of the Great Seal is still used
today.
As the years went by, more and more duties were assigned to the
Secretary of State's office, including taking care of the Illinois
State Capitol buildings, running the state library, registering motor
vehicles, licensing drivers and some law enforcement duties. Currently,
the Secretary of State is divided into 15 different departments:
- Secretary of State Police
Of these 15 departments, 3 of them (Personnel, Merit Services and the
Inspector General) are internal departments that handle issues relevant
to employees of the Secretary of State's Office. Accounting/Revenue
handles the money collected by the Illinois Secretary of State's
office, making sure all revenue is received, documented and deposited
to the correct place. Considering that the Illinois Secretary of
State's office is the state's third-largest source of revenue, this is
no small task. The Administrative Hearings department conducts hearings
for drivers who have had their licenses administratively suspended
after being charged with a DUI. They also conduct hearings on the
suspensions and revocations of other types of licenses issued by the
Secretary of State's office, such as licenses for driving schools or
car dealerships. The Department of Business Services helps businesses
register or incorporate in Illinois as required, and keeps records of
their standing in the state. The Court of Claims deals with workers
compensation claims and grants for crime victims.
The department that most Illinois residents interact with the most is
the Driver Services department. Each year, this department issues
approximately 8.5 million driver's licenses. That's a lot of paperwork
to process and unflattering pictures to take! This department also
issues ID cards for nondrivers and keeps track of everyone's Illinois
driving records. The Illinois State Archives organizes and preserves
all official historical records for the state, including documents
having to do with Abraham Lincoln and information to help with
genealogical research. The Illinois State Library is the official
library for the state government. It also maintains an art collection
featuring work by Illinois artists.
The Physical Services Department maintains the facilities of the State
Capitol complex in Springfield. They also take care of 3 important
Secretary of State buildings in Chicago. The Secretary of State police
primarily provide law enforcement duties at the state Capitol building
and at other Secretary of State facilities. However, their jurisdiction
extends over the whole state and they also enforce traffic and DUI laws
when appropriate. Additionally, the Illinois Secretary of State police
investigate instances of auto theft and fraud by auto dealers.
The Securities Department regulates the investment industry in
Illinois, protecting investors from fraud and malfeasance. Vehicle
Services is the other department that the public regularly interacts
with. This department issues titles and tags for vehicles registered in
the State of Illinois, as well as performing random insurance checks to
ensure that drivers are complying with the law and carrying insurance
on their vehicles.
