The role oversees areas that include motor vehicle licensing, state identification, record keeping, and corporate chartering.

[2] The secretary of state is elected biannually by ballot of members of both houses of the Maine Legislature assembled together,[2] identical in procedure to its neighbor, New Hampshire.

[6][7] The secretary of state has oversight over the conduct of elections, petition filing, and state-wide ballot initiatives.

The secretary reviews petitions to verify authenticity of signatures for ballot initiatives under the Maine Constitution.

[8][2] The secretary maintains laws passed in the state and all records of the legislature, state agencies, election returns, vital statistics, county court rulings, and Supreme Judicial Court rulings and proceedings.