Secretary Bellows takes office as 50th Secretary of State

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows took office today, Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, becoming the first woman elected to the post by the Maine Legislature.

Governor Janet Mills conducted the formal swearing-in of all the constitutional officers, which includes Secretary Bellows, State Treasurer Henry Beck and Attorney General Aaron Frey; as well as the statutory office of State Auditor, now held by former Secretary Matthew Dunlap.

The Department of the Secretary of State includes three bureaus: The Maine State Archives, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions.

Secretary Bellows shared her vision for each bureau, such as embracing technology to improve public access, efficiency and service for motor vehicle transactions; and to share Maine history more widely by digitizing archival documents. She also spoke of her goal to advance voter participation through reforms like online voter registration and to ensure the integrity of future elections through election audits.

Secretary Bellows, now Maines 50th Secretary of State, previously served two terms in the Maine Senate from 2016-2020, and most recently worked as executive director of the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine.

Megan Diver

Megan has worked in Maine politics for more than ten years and all of her professional career, having served in many roles for elected officials (including former Secretary of State Charlie Summers), in-house with the Maine Association of REALTORS®, legislative specialist at Pierce Atwood LLP providing lobbying services and support to Pierce Atwood’s government relations clients and most recently senior government relations specialist at the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. Megan currently is the Vice President at the Maine Energy Marketers Association, utilizing her vast knowledge and legislative experience at the State House to represent MEMA on policies relating to the Association and its members.