Secretary of State of Rhode Island

The Secretary of State of Rhode Island is an elected office in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. As of 2015, the current Secretary of State is Nellie Gorbea.

The Rhode Island Department of State or is composed of five separate divisions:

  • The Elections and Civics Division prepares ballots, ensures accessibility of voting facilities, qualifies and certifies the names of all federal and state candidates for ballot placement, maintains a database of registered voters, and ensures compliance with the Help America Vote Act. Administration of elections and compliance with campaign finance laws is the responsibility of a separate state agency, the Rhode Island Board of Elections.
  • The Corporations Division is responsible for a wide range of business-related legal documents and filings, including formation of corporations and other business entities, liens and security interests under the Uniform Commercial Code, registration of notaries public, apostilles, trademarks and service marks, registration of businesses conducting games of chance, and various other documents required by state law.
  • The Public Information Division accepts many filings required to be made with Secretary of State, including Lobbying Disclosures, Public Meeting Notices and Minutes, Disclosure of State Government Consultants and Appointments to Boards and Commissions, and other government information. This division also publishes the Rhode Island Government Owner's Manual, which gives a broad overview of various government offices and officials.
  • The Rhode Island State Archives is the official custodian and trustee for public records of permanent historical value.
  • The Rhode Island State Library, which was created in 1852 by a General Assembly resolution as part of the office of the Secretary of State. Its purpose is to assist members of the General Assembly with research on the preparation of proposed legislation. The State Library also includes a law library.[1]

Secretaries of state

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List of officeholders[2]
Name Tenure Party
Samuel Eddy1798–1819Republican
Henry Bowen1843–1849
Christopher E. Robbins1849–1851
Asa Potter1851–1854
William R. Watson1844–1855
John Russell Bartlett1855–1872
Joshua M. Addeman1872–1887
Edwin D. McGuinness1887–1888
Samuel H. Cross1888–1890
Edwin D. McGuinness1890–1891
George H. Utter1891–1894Republican
Charles P. Bennett1894–1909Republican
J. Fred Parker1909–1924Republican
Ernest L. Sprague1924–1933Republican
Louis W. Cappelli1933–1939Democratic
J. Hector Paquin1939–1941Republican
Armand H. Cote1941–1957Democratic
John A. Notte, Jr.1957–1959Democratic
August P. LaFrance1959–1973Democratic
Robert F. Burns1973–1983Democratic
Susan Farmer1983–1987Republican
Kathleen S. Connell1987–1993Democratic
Barbara Leonard1993–1995Republican
James Langevin1995–2001Democratic
Edward S. Inman2001–2003Democratic
Matthew A. Brown2003–2007Democratic
Ralph Mollis2007–2015Democratic
Nellie Gorbea2015–presentDemocratic

See also

References

  1. ↑ RI State Library,Law and Legislation Section
  2. ↑ Office of Rhode Island Secretary of State, Historical Secretaries of State, accessed September 12, 2013


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