Office of the Secretary of State James R. Langevin records (2000-70)

Historical note

The Department of State is the general recording officer and serves as the secretary of the senate, prepares all ballot labels and maintains the central voter registry, keeps all corporate records, registers notaries, administers the commercial code, has custody of the state seal, keeps original copies of all enacted laws and administers the state archives and state library.

James R. Langevin served as Secretary of State from 1995 until January 10, 2001 when he was sworn in as Congressman from the 2nd Congressional District in Rhode Island. His administration is credited with replacing antiquated (Shoup lever) voting machines with the optical scan ballot system; promoting open government with access to public records and open meetings; publishing “Access Denied: Chaos, Confusion and Closed Doors,” a report on the General Assembly’s Compliance with the Letter and Spirit of the Open Meeting Law in conjunction with the Alfred Taubman Center for Public Policy at Brown University; and providing the public with online, comprehensive, daily and weekly reports on the activities of the General Assembly through the department’s website and public kiosks.