The office of secretary of state doesn’t have much power in Wisconsin, and the candidates running for the job are at odds on whether it should stay that way.

The incumbent, Democrat Sarah Godlewski, is leaving office to run for lieutenant governor. She was appointed to replace Democrat Doug La Follette, who held the job for 44 years.

Wisconsin Public Radio
By Elissa Eaton
October 12, 2026

On Nov. 3, voters will decide between Republican businessman Jay Schroeder, Democratic Milwaukee Alder JoCasta Zamarripa and former Racine Alder Pete Karas from the Wisconsin Green Party.

The role of the secretary of state has eroded over time, with many of the office’s former responsibilities shifting to other agencies.

In more than 30 states, the secretary of state is the chief election official, meaning they have the jurisdiction to oversee elections. That’s not the case in Wisconsin, where elections are overseen by the Wisconsin Elections Commission, a group of bipartisan appointees. 

The Wisconsin Green Party’s Pete Karas said he thinks it’s unrealistic for the secretary of state to be in charge of elections, though he also thinks the Wisconsin Elections Commission is flawed. 

“We (should) have retired judges and possibly college professors and a few other people on a on a committee that does everything from redistricting to eliminate gerrymandering to just running the operations of elections,” Karas said.

Karas said he doesn’t buy into the spoiler effect that comes with voting third party, and said voters should vote for their values. 

“There’s no room for partisanship in in record-keeping,” Karas said. “The Republicans and Democrats failed us, and it’s time to make a statement. And this is a very safe race to make a statement.”