Preceded by Ed Kelly (Acting) Political party Democratic | Name Bill Gardner Party Democratic Party | |
 | ||
Governor Meldrim Thomson, Jr.
Hugh Gallen
Vesta M. Roy
John H. Sununu
Judd Gregg
Steve Merrill
Jeanne Shaheen
Craig Benson
John Lynch
Maggie Hassan Born October 26, 1948 (age 75)
Manchester, New Hampshire,
U.S. ( 1948-10-26 ) Alma mater University of New Hampshire,
Durham
Harvard University
London School of Economics
University of North Carolina,
Greensboro Role New Hampshire Secretary of State Office New Hampshire Secretary of State since 1976 Education London School of Economics and Political Science | ||
William M. "Bill" Gardner (born October 26, 1948) is the current Secretary of State of New Hampshire. He is in charge of the department that oversees all general elections, primary elections, voter registration and recounts within the state, including the New Hampshire primary. He currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the Public Advisory Board at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College.
Career in politics
He began his career in New Hampshire politics as a state representative and was elected Secretary of State in 1976 by the state legislature. He has been kept in office by both Democratic and Republican legislatures since then. He is the longest currently-serving Secretary of State in the United States.
Gardner has taken the lead in New Hampshire's policy towards "100% Paper Ballot" elections, in contrast to some states that use computerized voting systems without paper records of each vote.
A strong supporter of New Hampshire's standing as the 'first in the nation' primary state, Gardner wrote Why New Hampshire with the late former Governor Hugh Gregg in October 2003, detailing the history and significance of the New Hampshire Primary. He also appears in Winning New Hampshire, released in 2004. As New Hampshire's Secretary of State, he described the principal charge as "protecting the sanctity of New Hampshire’s status as first to hold a full-fledged primary".