Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has appointed the top elections official in the state’s most populous county to another four-year term.

Kobach had a swearing-in ceremony Wednesday for Johnson County Election Commissioner Brian Newby. Newby has held the job since being appointed to fill a vacancy in January 2005. His current term expires Sunday.

The secretary of state appoints election commissioners in the state’s four most populous counties — Johnson, Sedgwick, Wyandotte and Shawnee. Elected clerks supervise elections in the state’s 101 other counties.

Johnson County has almost 378,000 registered voters, or nearly 22 percent of the 1.74 million statewide.

Newby is a former Sprint Corp. executive and Shawnee city council member. As election commissioner, he’s been honored by national groups for counties and election officials.