Secretary of State of Arizona
Encyclopedia
The Secretary of State
of Arizona is an elected position in the U.S. state
of Arizona
. Since Arizona has no lieutenant governor
, the Secretary stands first in the line of succession to the governorship. The Secretary also serves as acting governor whenever the governor is incapacitated or out of state. The Secretary is the keeper of the Seal of Arizona
, and administers oaths of office The current secretary is Ken Bennett
.
Secretary of State (U.S. state government)
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...
of Arizona is an elected position in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. Since Arizona has no lieutenant governor
Lieutenant governor (United States)
In the United States, 43 of the 50 states have a separate, full-time office of lieutenant governor. In most cases, the lieutenant governor is the highest officer of state after the governor, standing in for that officer when he or she is absent from the state or temporarily incapacitated...
, the Secretary stands first in the line of succession to the governorship. The Secretary also serves as acting governor whenever the governor is incapacitated or out of state. The Secretary is the keeper of the Seal of Arizona
Seal of Arizona
The Great Seal of the State of Arizona is ringed by the words “Great Seal of the State of Arizona” on the top, and 1912 the year of Arizona’s statehood. In the background is a range of mountains with the sun rising behind the peaks. At the right side of the mountains is a water storage reservoir...
, and administers oaths of office The current secretary is Ken Bennett
Ken Bennett
Ken Bennett is a Republican politician and businessman who served as president of the Arizona Senate, and is currently serving as the Secretary of State of Arizona.-Biography:...
.
Duties
The Secretary is in charge of a wide variety of other duties as well. The Secretary is in charge of four divisions:- The Secretary is in charge of the Arizona Advance Directive Registry, which is the official state repository of advance directives such as living willLiving willAn advance health care directive, also known as living will, personal directive, advance directive, or advance decision, are instructions given by individuals specifying what actions should be taken for their health in the event that they are no longer able to make decisions due to illness or...
s, Medical Powers of AttorneyPower of attorneyA power of attorney or letter of attorney is a written authorization to represent or act on another's behalf in private affairs, business, or some other legal matter...
, and Mental Health Powers of Attorney.
- The Business Services Division is responsible for registering trademarkTrademarkA trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
s, trade nameTrade nameA trade name, also known as a trading name or a business name, is the name which a business trades under for commercial purposes, although its registered, legal name, used for contracts and other formal situations, may be another....
s, and lienLienIn law, a lien is a form of security interest granted over an item of property to secure the payment of a debt or performance of some other obligation...
s under the Uniform Commercial CodeUniform Commercial CodeThe Uniform Commercial Code , first published in 1952, is one of a number of uniform acts that have been promulgated in conjunction with efforts to harmonize the law of sales and other commercial transactions in all 50 states within the United States of America.The goal of harmonizing state law is...
. This division also issues apostilles, files intergovernmental agreements and notices of public meetings, and regulates notaries publicNotary publicA notary public in the common law world is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international business...
, employment agenciesEmployment agencyAn employment agency is an organization which matches employers to employees. In all developed countries there is a publicly funded employment agency and multiple private businesses which also act as employment agencies.-Public employment agencies:...
, sports agentSports agentA sports agent procures and negotiates employment and endorsement contracts for an athlete.In return, the sports agent generally receives between 4 and 10% of the athlete's playing contract, and 10 to 20% of the athlete's endorsement contract, though these figures vary...
s, out-of-state landlordsAbsentee landlordAbsentee landlord is an economic term for a person who owns and rents out a profit-earning property, but does not live within the property's local economic region. This practice is problematic for that region because absentee landlords drain local wealth into their home country, particularly that...
, telemarketers, and charitable organizationCharitable organizationA charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
s. The Business Services Division is responsible for chartering partnershipPartnershipA partnership is an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.Since humans are social beings, partnerships between individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments, and varied combinations thereof, have always been and remain commonplace...
s; corporationCorporationA corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
s, on the other hand, are the responsibility of the Arizona Corporation CommissionArizona Corporation CommissionThe Arizona Corporation Commission is the Public Utilities Commission of the State of Arizona, established by Article 15 of the Arizona Constitution. There are currently five members of the commission . Arizona is one of only a handful of states with elected commissioners...
.
- The Elections Division is responsible for administering all elections in the state, and certifying their results. This division also regulates lobbyingLobbyingLobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
and campaign financeCampaign financeCampaign finance refers to all funds that are raised and spent in order to promote candidates, parties or policies in some sort of electoral contest. In modern democracies such funds are not necessarily devoted to election campaigns. Issue campaigns in referendums, party activities and party...
.
- The Public Services Division is responsible for filing billsBill (proposed law)A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
from the Arizona LegislatureArizona LegislatureThe Arizona Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Senate. There are 60 Representatives and 30 Senators...
, registering and publishing administrative regulationRegulationRegulation is administrative legislation that constitutes or constrains rights and allocates responsibilities. It can be distinguished from primary legislation on the one hand and judge-made law on the other...
s, and publishes the Arizona Blue Book, which is an informational guide to the government of Arizona.
Officeholders
Secretaries since Arizona's statehood:- Sidney P. Osborn (1912–1918)
- Mit Simms (1919–1920)
- Ernest R. Hall (1921–1922)
- James H. Kerby (1923–1928)
- John C. Callaghan (1929)
- I.P. "Ike" Fraizer (1929–1930)
- Scott White (1931–1932)
- James H. Kerby (1933–1938)
- Harry M. Moore (1939–1942)
- Dan E. Garvey (1942–1948)
- Curtis M. Williams (1948–1949)
- Wesley BolinWesley BolinWesley Bolin was a Democratic Party politician who served as the 15th governor of the U.S. state of Arizona between 1977 and 1978. His five months in office mark the shortest term in office for any Arizona governor....
(1949–1977) - Rose Mofford (1977–1988)
- James "Jim" Hyrum ShumwayJames ShumwayJames "Jim" Shumway was an election administrator and Secretary of State of Arizona.He was born in Tempe and attended Tempe High School where he became a noted football player. His skill in this sport earned him a football scholarship to Brigham Young University where he also excelled at the game...
(1988–1991) - Richard D. MahoneyRichard Mahoney (Arizona politician)Richard D. Mahoney was the Democratic Secretary of State of Arizona from 1991 until 1995.Mahoney, the son of William P. Mahoney, a Phoenix lawyer and United States Ambassador to Ghana, was born in 1952...
(1991–1995) - Jane Dee HullJane Dee HullJane Dee Hull was the second woman to serve as Governor of Arizona, the first female Republican governor of the state, and the first woman to be elected to the position.-Biography:...
(1995–1997) - Betsey BaylessBetsey BaylessBetsey Bayless was the Republican Secretary of State of Arizona from September 5, 1997 until January 6, 2003. She was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Jane Dee Hull...
(1997–2003) - Janice K. BrewerJan BrewerJanice Kay "Jan" Brewer is the 22nd and current Governor of the U.S. state of Arizona and a member of the Republican Party. She is the fourth woman, and third consecutive woman, to hold the office...
(2003–2009) - Ken BennettKen BennettKen Bennett is a Republican politician and businessman who served as president of the Arizona Senate, and is currently serving as the Secretary of State of Arizona.-Biography:...
(2009–present)