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FACT BRIEF

Does a Secretary of State have the power to certify the election results of another state?

By Jordan Gerard
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NO

Each state has its own constitution and no state holds power over another, so one state's Secretary of State does not have authority to certify another state’s election results.

According to Democracy Docket, "The certification of election results is conducted at the state level, either by a state board of elections or the state’s chief elections officer (in 47 states, that’s the secretary of state)." In Arizona, it is the Secretary of State’s duty. Secretary of State Katie Hobbs did not need to resign to run for governor. Hobbs is in her final year of office, so she was not required to resign before running for governor.

Georgia's current governor, Republican Brian Kemp resigned as Secretary of State before his office certified his election results in 2018. His replacement was appointed by then-Governor Nathan Deal.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Vote Smart State Constitutions
Democracy Docket After Election Day: The Basics of Election Certification
Arizona Secretary of State About the Office
The Arizona Republic Kari Lake wants Katie Hobbs to recuse herself from election duties. That would be outside the norm
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Georgia 2018 Election
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the state’s only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. AZCIR's mission is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.