AUGUSTA - Gov. Janet Mills will swear in Secretary of State Shenna Bellows on Monday, January 4, with a formal acceptance ceremony scheduled for Noon in the House Chamber of the Maine State House.

While the building is closed to the public, credentialed members of the press are invited to attend and the public can view the proceedings in real time via the House Chamber website livestream at http://legislature.maine.gov/audio/#house_chamber .

Secretary Bellows will be the Maine's first female Secretary of State and the 50th person elected to the office. She 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. For a full biography, visit https://www.maine.gov/sos/ .

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.

The Secretary of State is one of Maines three constitutional officers, along with the State Treasurer and Attorney General. All three, as well as the statutory office of State Auditor, are elected by the Legislature and will participate in the ceremony Tuesday.