The powers and duties vested in the notary are personal to the notary and should never be ______________.

• A. assumed
• B. delegated
• C. shared
• D. transferred

Answer: (B)

Notary powers are personal and must be exercised by the notary themselves. In Texas, the notary acts as a public officer, and the authority to perform notarial acts cannot be delegated to another person. This personal obligation ensures proper identity verification, authentication, and the integrity of the notarization, with the notary personally applying the seal and signature to attest the act. While routine clerical tasks can be handled by staff, the actual notarization cannot be delegated to someone else. That’s why the idea captured here is that the powers should never be delegated.