JoCasta Zamarripa (D), Jay Schroeder (R), and Pete Karas (G) are running in the general election for Wisconsin secretary of state on Nov. 3. Incumbent Sarah Godlewski (D) is running for lieutenant governor of Wisconsin. According to the Wisconsin Examiner, this is the first time in more than 40 years that the incumbent is not running for re-election.
In Wisconsin, the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission conducts elections, making the state one of 13 where the secretary of state does not oversee elections. The secretary of state previously conducted elections; however, the state legislature removed this power when it created the first of three election boards and/or commissions in 1974. Schroeder is campaigning on dismantling the commission, saying, "The current system is an arbitrary disaster that lacks the transparency Wisconsinites deserve. [I am] committed to ... Moving the role of Chief Election Official back to the Secretary of State." Zamarripa says that the election authority should remain with the commission.
In September 2026, Sabato's Crystal Ball's Louis Jacobson shifted his rating of the office from Toss-up to Leans Democratic, writing, "On the Democratic side, Milwaukee alderwoman and former state Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa was unopposed in the primary. On the Republican side, businessman and activist Jay Schroeder took nearly half the primary vote in a four-way race. Democrats have a small edge here, so we are moving the race to Leans Democratic."
Zamarripa has represented District 8 on the Milwaukee Common Council since 2020. She also represented District 8 in the Wisconsin Senate from 2011 to 2021. According to the Eagle Herald, Zamarripa says she is running "to modernize Wisconsin’s record-keeping office, strengthen its role on the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands (BCPL) and use the position’s bully pulpit to advocate on cost-of-living and workers’ rights."
Schroeder is a real estate and stock market investor and ran for the office in 2022, losing to Amy Loudenbeck in the Republican primary 46.3%-39.9%. Schroeder's campaign website says he "is committed to ... Moving the role of Chief Election Official back to the Secretary of State. ... Implementing rigorous records transparency so every citizen can trust the process. ... [and] Removing the 'bureaucratic shield' of the WEC to ensure that election officials are accountable to the people, not political appointees."
This election, along with the elections for governor and attorney general, will determine Wisconsin's triplex status. Democrats have a triplex in Wisconsin. If Democrats win all three offices, they will maintain a triplex. If Republicans win all three offices, they will gain a triplex. If neither party wins all three offices, neither will hold a triplex. As of Sept. 15, there were 24 Republican triplexes, 21 Democratic triplexes, and five divided governments where neither party held triplex control.
This is one of 26 secretary of state elections taking place this year. Thirty-five of 50 states hold elections for secretary of state. Click here for an overview of all 26 secretary of state elections taking place this year. Heading into the election, Republicans held 25 secretary of state offices, while Democrats held 22.