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Secretary of State of Arkansas
Secretary of State of Arkansas
	Seal of the secretary of state
	Incumbent; Cole Jester; since January 1, 2025
Style	Mr. Secretary; (informal); The Honorable; (formal)
Seat	State Capitol, Little Rock, Arkansas
Term length	Four years, renewable once (Seventy-third Amendment to the Arkansas Constitution of 1874)
Constituting instrument	Arkansas Constitution of 1836
Precursor	Secretary of Arkansas Territory
Formation	September 16, 1836; (188 years ago)
First holder	Robert A. Watkins
Salary	$54,305
Website	sos.arkansas.gov

The Arkansas Secretary of State is one of the elected constitutional officers of the U.S. State of Arkansas.

The current Secretary of State is Republican Cole Jester who was appointed by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders after John Thurston became the state treasurer.

Organization

The secretary of state's office is composed of seven divisions:

The Building & Grounds Division maintains the Arkansas State Capitol and its surrounding grounds and gardens.
The Business & Commercial Services Division is responsible for filing liens pursuant to the Uniform Commercial Code, registering business entities and trademarks, collecting the state franchise tax, and licensing notaries public.
The Communications & Education Division provides public education about civics and the History of Arkansas, and produces various state publications.
The Elections Division administers elections, regulates campaign finance and lobbying, and ensures compliance with state and federal election laws.
The Fiscal Office deals with the internal financial, logistical, and personnel matters of the Office of the Secretary of State. They also distribute the Arkansas and United States flag.
The secretary also runs the State Capitol gift shop.
The State Capitol Police provide security for the State Capitol building and police services for the Capitol Complex.

Other duties

The Secretary of State also publishes the state's administrative regulations and the state gazette, the Arkansas Register.^[2]

Officeholders

Democrats were elected exclusively to the office of secretary of state from the later Reconstruction era until the retirement of Charlie Daniels to run for State Auditor in 2010, when the first modern-day Republican to hold the office, Mark Martin, was elected. Secretaries of State during the statehood of Arkansas include:^[3]

Robert A. Watkins (D) 1836–1840
D. B. Greer 1840–1842
John Winfrey (D) 1842
D. B. Greer (D) 1842–1859
Alexander Boileau (D) 1859–1860
S. W. Weaver (D) 1860
John I. Stirman (D) 1860–1862
O. H. Oates (Confederate) 1862–1864
Robert J. T. White (R) 1864–1871
James M. Johnson (R) 1871–1874
Benton B. Beavers (D) 1874–1879
Jacob Frolich (D) 1879–1885
Elias B. Moore (D) 1885–1889
Benjamin Boone Chism (D) 1889–1893^[4]
H. B. Armistead (D) 1893–1897
Alexander C. Hull (D) 1897–1901
J. W. Crockett (D) 1901–1905
O. C. Ludwig (D) 1905–1911
Earle W. Hodges (D) 1911–1917
Tom J. Terral (D) 1917–1921
Ira C. Hopper (D) 1921–1925
Jim B. Higgins (D) 1925–1931
Ed F. McDonald (D) 1931–1937
C. G. "Crip" Hall (D) 1937–1961
Nancy J. Hall (D) 1961–1963
Kelly Bryant (D) 1963–1975
George O. Jernigan Jr. (D) 1975–1977
Winston Bryant (D) 1977–1979
Paul Riviere (D) 1979–1985
William J. "Bill" McCuen (D) 1985–1995
Sharon M. Priest (D) 1995–2003
Charlie Daniels (D) 2003–2011
Mark Martin (R) 2011–2019
John Thurston (R) 2019–2025
Cole Jester (R) 2025–present

References

^ "Arkansas state government salary". Ballotpedia. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
^ "Rules & Regulations". Arkansas Secretary of State. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
^ "Office of Secretary of State". The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
^ Kwas, Mary L. (2011). A Pictorial History of Arkansas's Old State House. University of Arkansas Press. p. 127. Retrieved December 21, 2023.