Arkansas Secretary of State

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The Arkansas Secretary of State has jurisdiction over state election laws, ensuring uniform implementation throughout the state. The Secretary of State also qualifies statewide and state district candidates and ballot initiatives, and publishes the official state voter-information pamphlet.

Any member of the public may propose a ballot issue in Arkansas. There are certain steps that must be followed in order to get the issue on the ballot, and these steps are regulated by the Secretary of State. The process that a citizen must follow is examined in detail here: Arkansas Initiative and Referendum Law.

The current officeholder is Charlie Daniels.

Overview

All statewide petitions are filed with the Secretary of State at least 4 months before they are voted on and referendum acts must be filed within at least 90 days after the final adjournment of the session when the Act was passed. When filing the title of the election is submitted by the proponents of the initiative at which time the Secretary of State will certifies it. The ballot language is then approved by the Attorney General and the information is spread through the publication the Voter Information Pamphlet.

Verification of ballot
Statewide petitions are verified for sufficiency, if there are enough genuine signatures, at the end of a circulation period. The signatures will also be reviewed by the state's Supreme Court. Local initiatives and referenda shall be verified by the County Clerk.

Should a ballot be insufficient, the Secretary of State must alert the sponsors of the petition without delay. At this time the sponsors are allowed 30 days (10 days for local) from the date of the notification for correction of the amendment.

  • If legal proceedings prevent giving legal effect to any petition the burden of proof is on the person/persons attacking the validity of the petition.

Be sure to check with the Secretary of State about the form the petitions should be submitted in, whether it be bound, page numbers, etc. These rules have changed for the 2008 election and are yet to be published on the state's website.

Duties

The Secretary of State is divided into seven divisions. These are:

  • Authentication of Documents
  • Building and Grounds
  • Business and Commercial Services Division
  • Communications and Education
  • Elections
  • Financial and Business Office
  • Capital Security and tours

The division that has the most impact on initiative and referendum is the Elections Division. Some of the responsibilities of the elections division are:

  • Maintaining records
  • It maintains the journals and originals acts of the Legislature, and publishes and distributes the acts.
  • Candidates and elected state officials must file political practice pledges with this division. Lobbyists, political action committees, and athlete agents must also register in this office.
  • The Secretary of State also works in conjunction with the Ethics Commission for filing mandatory Campaign Contribution and Expenditure reports.
  • Implementing the National Voter Registration Act and the mandates of the Help America Vote Act.
  • The Arkansas Register is an official publican that contains the administrative rules and regulations adopted by the stage agencies and other groups. A key aspect of this publication is that it contains the opinions of the Attorney General, notice of legislative audit reports and insurance orders.
  • Maintaining files on the incorporation of cities and towns and subsequent annexations, as well as keeping records on all state board and commission members and the regulations passed by those boards.

Contact Information

State Capital, Room 256
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone:501-682-5070 or 1-800-482-1127
Email: electionsmail@sos.arkansas.gov

See also

External links

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Current Secretaries of State
   
Secretary of State elections, 2010
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