New Chief Election Officials Set to Take Office

Control of the U.S. Senate grabbed the spotlight last night, but voters across the country also cast ballots for those who will be in charge of running elections in their states. With most votes counted, at least a dozen new chief election officials will take office in the coming year, though a few of those races are still too close to call.

The results as of 11 a.m. EST Wednesday morning:

• Alabama: Secretary of State-elect John Merrill (R).
• Alaska: Byron Mallott (I) holds a 1.4 percent lead over Republican Dan Sullivan in the race for lieutenant governor, with thousands of absentee ballots still to be counted. 
• Arizona: Secretary of State-elect Michele Reagan (R).
• Arkansas: Incumbent Secretary of State Mark Martin (R) won re-election.
• California: Alex Padilla (D) holds a 5 percent lead over Pete Peterson (R) for secretary of state, with nearly all the votes counted.
• Colorado: Secretary of State-elect Wayne W. Williams (R).
• Connecticut: Incumbent Denise Merrill (D) holds a 3 percent lead over Peter Lumaj (R). The latest results from the Associated Press show 89 percent of precincts have reported results.
• Georgia: Incumbent Secretary of State Brian Kemp won re-election.
• Idaho: Secretary of State-elect Lawerence Denney (R).
• Iowa: Secretary of State-elect Paul Pate (R). Pate was previously secretary of state in the 1990s.
• Indiana: Incumbent Secretary of State Connie Lawson (R) won re-election.
• Kansas: Incumbent Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R) won re-election.
• Massachusetts: Incumbent Secretary of State William Gavin (D) won re-election.
• Michigan: Incumbent Secretary of State Ruth Johnson (R) won re-election.
• Minnesota: Secretary of State-elect Steve Simon (DFL).
• Nebraska: Incumbent Secretary of State John Gale (R) won re-election.
• Nevada: Secretary of State-elect Barbara Cegavske (R).
• New Mexico: Incumbent Secretary of State Dianna Duran (R) won re-election.
• North Dakota: Incumbent Secretary of State Al Jaeger (R) won re-election.
• Ohio: Incumbent Secretary of State Jon Husted (R) won re-election.
• Rhode Island: Secretary of State-elect Nellie Gorbea (D).
• South Dakota: Secretary of State-elect Shantel Krebs (R).
• Vermont: Incumbent Secretary of State Jim Condos (D) won re-election.
• Wyoming : Secretary of State-elect Ed Murray (R).

If the results do not change, there will be 12 newly elected chief election officials, only two of whom represent a change in political party affiliation from their predecessors. All 12 incumbent secretaries of state who ran were re-elected. Additionally, new governors elected in Pennsylvania and Texas will appoint the secretaries of state in their states, which is likely to bring the total number of new chief election officials to 14.

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