Arkansas Secretary of State

Description

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 provides voter education products and services. In addition to his or her election-related responsibilities, the incumbent registers businesses in the state and keeps the state capitol grounds. The secretary of state is Arkansas' chief election officer; he or she maintains the state's election records, supervises voter registration and electronic voting systems, and collects campaign finance reports from candidates, donors and interest groups. The secretary's office also runs voter education and outreach programs to encourage greater voter participation through programs such as "Young Voter's Month." These programs also encourage knowledge of Arkansas history, the state capitol, and "citizenship." The secretary's office handles business registration, licensing and Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) matters. It also keeps the state capitol building and grounds, and manages the capitol police.

Application Guidelines

To file for this position follow these three steps: 1) Contact the Arkansas Secretary of State Election Division's office to confirm that your registered address qualifies you for the position you intend to run for, and that you meet other office specific qualifications. 2) Complete the required candidacy paperwork including a filing fee, campaign finance forms, candidate information, a political practice pledge and other office specific requirements. The type of forms to be submitted differ depending on the type of position you intend to run for. If you plan to run as member of a political party, you must submit a receipt from the political party acknowledging you are able to run as a member of that party. Independent candidates must submit petitions with a stipulated number of signatures (in place of a political party receipt). Once completed, file these papers with the Arkansas Secretary of State Election Division office. 3) Submit the filing paperwork with the stipulated amount of signatures during the filing window to the Arkansas Secretary of State Election Division's Office in order to appear on the ballot. The filing window runs from the 1st Monday in November until the 2nd Monday in November prior to the election. Listed below is the phone number of the Arkansas Secretary of State Election Division's office, which serves as the point of contact for any questions or concerns. Arkansas Elections Division: 1-800-482-1127. More information can be found here: https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/elections/Documents/2018ElectionCalendar.pdf