The Rhode Island Department of State is a modern gateway connecting Rhode Islanders and their government. Our mission as The Rhode Island Department of State is to engage and empower all Rhode Islanders by making government more accessible and transparent, encouraging civic pride, enhancing commerce and ensuring that elections are fair, fast, and accurate. The Secretary of State works with every company registered to do business in Rhode Island - 60,000 in all. Law and other official acts such as issuing bonds must be signed by the Secretary of State in order to make them official. In addition, the Secretary of State also processes, preserves and gives the public access to hundreds of thousands of historic documents and public records. To learn more about the duties of the Secretary of State look here: sos.ri.gov/about/