The Department of State is composed of the Office of the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State, if elected, succeeds to the office of Governor upon the resignation, death, disability, or removal from office of the Governor and serves as acting Governor when the Governor is out of the state.

The Secretary of State attests to the Governor's signature on official documents and affixes the Great Seal of Arizona.

The Secretary is the Chief Elections Officer for the state and certifies the names of state candidates and initiative and referendum measures to the ballot, tests the voting equipment in each county before each election, conducts recounts, prepares the official canvass for both the primary and the general elections, and certifies recognition of new political parties.

The Secretary of State also commissions notaries public; registers lobbyists; registers charitable organizations, contracted fund raisers for the charitable organizations, and telemarketers; distributes copies of all new state laws to the public as requested; compiles and publishes the administrative rules of the state's agencies; issues certificates of trademarks and trade names; files all secured financial transactions under the Uniform Commercial Code; files limited partnerships, intergovernmental agreements, notices of appointments of officials and members of boards and commissions made by the Governor, and files contribution and expense reports for all state and federal candidates and political organizations.

The Secretary of State issues numerous publications, including the Arizona Constitution, the Arizona Administrative Register, the Arizona Administrative Code, the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, the Mobile Home Parks Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, the Notary Public Handbook, A.R.S. Title 16 (Elections and Electors), A.R.S. Title 19 (Initiative Referendum and Recall), A.R.S. Title 47 (Uniform Commercial Code), Lobbyist Handbooks, bingo law and rules, the laws concerning trade names and trademarks and limited partnerships, the publicity pamphlet for the general election in each even-numbered year, and many other pamphlets and booklets.

The Secretary of State's Office is divided into four areas: Administration, the Election Services Division, the Public Services Division, and the Business Services Division.