| Secretary of State of Rhode Island | |
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| Type | Secretary of State |
| Formation | 1798 |
| First holder | Samuel Eddy |
| Website | Office of the Rhode Island Secretary of State, official homepage |
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.
The Rhode Island Department of State or is composed of five separate divisions:
The secretary of state of California is the chief clerk of the U.S. state of California, overseeing a department of 500 people. The secretary of state is elected for four year terms, like the state's other constitutional officers; the officeholder is restricted by term limits to two terms. The current secretary of state is Shirley Weber, who assumed the role in 2021 after Alex Padilla's appointment to the US Senate.
The 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. In states that have one, the secretary of state is the chief administrative officer of the state and is often the primary custodian of important state records. In the states of Alaska, Hawaii, and Utah, there is no secretary of state; in those states many duties that a secretary of state might normally execute fall within the domain of the lieutenant governor. Like the lieutenant governor, in most states, the secretary of state is in the line of succession to succeed the governor, in most cases immediately behind the lieutenant governor. In three states with no lieutenant governor as well as the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, the secretary of state is first in the line of succession in the event of a gubernatorial vacancy.
The secretary of state of Vermont is one of five cabinet-level constitutional officers in the U.S. state of Vermont which are elected every two years. The secretary of state is fourth in the line of succession to the office of Governor of Vermont. The Office of the Secretary of State is located at 128 State St. in Montpelier. Since 2023, the secretary of state has been Sarah Copeland-Hanzas, a Democrat.
The Secretary of State of South Carolina is an elected constitutional officer in the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of South Carolina. The secretary of state is the chief clerk of state government in South Carolina and is responsible for registering businesses and trademarks, regulating charities, authorizing cable franchises, commissioning notaries public, and serving as the filing office for municipal records..
The secretary of state of Wyoming is the state secretary of state of the U.S. state of Wyoming. It is a constitutional office, established under the Constitution of Wyoming and the secretary of state accedes to the governorship in case of a vacancy. The secretary of state is the keeper of the Great Seal of Wyoming and the state's official record-keeper. When the governor is traveling out-of-state, the secretary of state serves as acting governor. Karen Wheeler served as acting secretary of state following the vacancy of Ed Murray, until the appointment of Edward Buchanan in March, 2018, who himself resigned September 17, 2022.
The Secretary of the State of Connecticut is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is an elected position in the state government and has a term length of four years.
The secretary of state of Washington is an independently elected constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Washington. Fifteen individuals have held the office of Secretary of State since statehood. The incumbent is Steve Hobbs, a Democrat.
The secretary of state of Colorado is the secretary of state of the state of Colorado in the United States. The office is one of five elected constitutional offices in the state. The current secretary of state is Democrat Jena Griswold.
The secretary of state of Nevada is a statewide elected office in the State of Nevada. The secretary of state post is common to many U.S. states. In Nevada, it is a constitutional office.
The secretary of state of New Mexico is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of New Mexico. Twenty-six individuals have held the office of secretary of state since statehood. Since 1923, every elected New Mexican secretary of state has been a woman. The incumbent is Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat. Toulouse Oliver's election was forced early due to the resignation of former secretary of state Dianna Duran in October 2015, after criminal charges were filed by the Attorney General's Office alleging Duran converted campaign funds to personal gambling debt.
Angelo Ralph Mollis is an American politician who served as the Secretary of State of Rhode Island from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he assumed office on January 1, 2007. He was reelected to a second term beginning January 4, 2011 and was succeeded by fellow Democrat Nellie Gorbea on January 6, 2015.
Eileen Slattery Naughton, is an American consultant and politician from Warwick, Rhode Island. A Democrat, she served in the Rhode Island House of Representatives, representing the 21st district, which contains the neighborhoods of Conimicut, Hoxsie, and parts of Hillsgrove, including the T.F. Green Airport. She was first elected to the House of Representatives November 3, 1992, and was defeated in the September 13, 2016, primary election in her bid to serve for a 13th term.
Since the Great Depression, Rhode Island politics have been dominated by the Rhode Island Democratic Party, and the state is considered part of the Democrats' "Blue Wall." Democrats have won all but four presidential elections since 1928, with the exceptions being 1952, 1956, 1972, and 1984. The Rhode Island Republican Party, although virtually non-existent in the Rhode Island General Assembly, has remained competitive in gubernatorial elections, having won one as recently as 2006. Until 2014, Democrats did not win a gubernatorial election in the state since 1992, and it was not until 2018 that they won one by double digits. The Rhode Island General Assembly has continuously been under Democratic control since 1959.
Virginia Susan Sosnowski is an American politician who is a Democratic member of the Rhode Island Senate, representing the 37th District, which encompasses the towns of South Kingstown and New Shoreham. She is the owner and operator of Sosnowski Farms, a family farm in West Kingston. Sosnowski was first elected on November 5, 1996, and is serving in her 8th term.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in the U.S. state of Rhode Island enjoy the same legal rights as non-LGBT people. Rhode Island established two types of major relationship recognition for same-sex couples, starting with civil unions on July 1, 2011, and then on August 1, 2013 with same-sex marriage. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is outlawed within the state namely in the areas of employment, housing, healthcare and public accommodations. In addition, conversion therapy on minors has been banned since 2017.
Kenneth J. Block is an American businessman, software engineer, and political reformer. He is the founder of the Moderate Party of Rhode Island, the state's third-largest political party, and ran as the Moderate candidate for Governor of Rhode Island in the 2010 election.
Robert E. Craven, Sr. is an American politician and a Democrat in the Rhode Island House of Representatives representing District 32 since January 1, 2013. He serves as Chairman of the House Municipal Government Committee and a member of the House Judiciary Committee. Craven also serves on the R.I. Governor's Justice Reinvestment Working Group.
John M. Carnevale is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives representing District 13 from January 2009 to January 2017.
William J. Conley Jr. is an American politician who was a Democratic member of the Rhode Island Senate representing District 18 from January 2013 to January 2021.
Nellie M. Gorbea is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she had served as the Secretary of State of Rhode Island from 2015 to 2023. Gorbea became the first Hispanic to win statewide office in New England.
 Rhode Island statewide elected officials | |
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