Three candidates will appear on Kenosha-area ballots Tuesday, Nov. 3, for Wisconsin secretary of state.
It is the first open contest for the office since 1978, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Democrat JoCasta Zamarripa, Republican Jay Schroeder and Green Party candidate Pete Karas are competing for a seat with limited power but a growing debate over whether it should have more.
The office's main duties include authenticating foreign documents and chairing the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, which oversees a $1.4 billion school trust fund, Wisconsin Public Radio reported. Unlike more than 30 other states, Wisconsin does not give its secretary of state authority over elections. The bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) handles that role.
That distinction sits at the center of the race.
Schroeder: take over elections
Schroeder, a Neenah resident, told the Journal Sentinel his "main vision" is to abolish the WEC and move the chief election official role into the secretary of state's office. He won a four-candidate Republican primary in August by more than 20 points over the second-place finisher, the Journal Sentinel reported.
He pointed to election errors in Green Bay, where a former clerk sent duplicate absentee ballots in two elections, and in Milwaukee, where a thumb drive at central count had the wrong database loaded. Both incidents were investigated by the elections commission. Audit logs in the Milwaukee case showed no evidence of tampering, according to Votebeat reporting cited by the Wisconsin Examiner.
Schroeder criticized outgoing Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski's proposed budget, which seeks $1.2 million in additional state funding. He said the proposal does not address affordability concerns facing Wisconsin residents, the Journal Sentinel reported.
Before the August primary, Schroeder described himself as an "authentic MAGA activist," the Wisconsin Examiner reported. Asked about that label Oct. 26, he said, "I don't know that I would. I would try to do what's right."
Zamarripa: keep elections with the commission
Zamarripa, a Milwaukee Common Council member in her second term, said she wants to keep the WEC in charge of elections. She told the Journal Sentinel that Schroeder's call to take over election authority makes her "concerned and fearful," saying she believes his goal is "to dismantle it and undermine our elections."
Her stated top priority is staffing. The office will have just one staff member besides the secretary of state as of January 2027, the Journal Sentinel reported. Zamarripa said she supports Godlewski's budget proposal and would push for additional positions.
Zamarripa also said she wants to advocate for driver's licenses for undocumented Wisconsin residents, a goal she initially called her "number one priority" in an Oct. 14 interview before describing it as "a priority" Oct. 22, the Journal Sentinel reported.
Karas: focus on the actual job
Karas, a retired small-business owner from Muskego and former Racine City Council member, said he is the "only candidate really addressing issues that have to deal with the secretary of state office," the Journal Sentinel reported.
His two priorities: modernizing state records and serving as a responsible trustee of the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands. He proposed partnering with libraries, universities and volunteers to digitize historical records at no cost to taxpayers.
On elections, Karas called Schroeder's proposal "ludicrous" but said he does not think it could pass the Legislature. He prefers returning to a nonpartisan Government Accountability Board model, which the WEC replaced in 2016. Karas told WPR the race is "a very safe race to make a statement" against the two-party system.
Any changes to the secretary of state's authority would require action from the Legislature and the governor, Cap Times reported. The election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
