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 2023, the current secretary of state is Gregg Amore.

Secretary of State of Rhode Island
Incumbent
Gregg Amore
since January 3, 2023
TypeSecretary of State
Formation1798
First holderSamuel Eddy
WebsiteOffice of the Rhode Island Secretary of State, official homepage

Powers and duties

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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 the 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]

List of secretaries of state

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List of officeholders[2]
Image Name Tenure Party
Henry Ward 1775–1797
  Samuel Eddy 1798–1818 Republican
Henry Bowen 1819–1848 Whig
Christopher E. Robbins 1849–1850 Whig
Asa Potter 1851–1853 Democratic
William R. Watson 1854 Whig
  John Russell Bartlett 1855–1871 Republican
Joshua M. Addeman 1872–1886 Republican
  Edwin D. McGuinness 1887 Democratic
Samuel H. Cross 1888–1889
  Edwin D. McGuinness 1890 Democratic
  George H. Utter 1891–1893 Republican
Charles P. Bennett 1894–1909 Republican
J. Fred Parker 1910–1923 Republican
  Ernest L. Sprague 1924–1932 Republican
Louis W. Cappelli 1933–1938 Democratic
J. Hector Paquin 1939–1940 Republican
Armand H. Cote 1941–1956 Democratic
  John A. Notte, Jr. 1957–1958 Democratic
August P. LaFrance 1959–1972 Democratic
Robert F. Burns 1973–1982 Democratic
Susan Farmer 1983–1986 Republican
Kathleen S. Connell 1987–1992 Democratic
Barbara Leonard 1993–1994 Republican
  James Langevin 1995–2001 Democratic
Edward S. Inman 2001–2002 Independent
  Matthew A. Brown 2003–2006 Democratic
Ralph Mollis 2007–2014 Democratic
  Nellie Gorbea 2015–2023 Democratic
  Gregg Amore 2023–present Democratic

See also

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References

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