The Secretary of State of West Virginia is one of the elected constitutional officers of the U.S. state of West Virginia. The current Secretary of State, Natalie Tennant (D-Kanawha Co.), was elected in November 2008 and assumed the office in January 2009. Secretary of State is an official in the state governments of 47 of the 50 states of the United States, as well as Puerto Rico and other U.S. possessions. In Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, this official is called the Secretary of the Commonwealth.