Secretary of State, Arizona

"It is very important that our young people understand how government works," the Honorable Ken Bennett, current Secretary of State of Arizona, stated emphatically during our interview.

My mission with this blog is to do precisely that: help us all understand how our government works, beginning with the position of Secretary of State in Arizona.  There are four main responsibilities of the Secretary of State: elections, business services, record keeping, and serving as Lieutenant Governor.

Elections:  The office of the Secretary of State works closely with each county to ensure that proper protocols are being followed.  The counties are the ones that actually conduct the elections.

Business Services:  The Business Services Division assists start up business,  registers partnerships, and issues trademarks and trade names.  Also, all notes from notaries in Arizona pertaining to business are filed at the Secretary of State's office.

Record Keeping:  "Whenever the the state government does something officially," Secretary Bennett said, "that usually gets filed at the Secretary of State's office."

Lieutenant Governor:  Arizona is one of only three states that does not have a Lieutenant Governor position.  The second-in-command position in our state government is the Secretary of State.  The Secretary of State assumes the position of Governor when the Governor is unable to discharge his or her duties or is out of state.