Are the Wisconsin Secretary of State's only responsibilities to issue travel documents and serve on a timber board?
The Wisconsin Secretary of State's responsibilities extend beyond serving on the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands and issuing certifications for documents to be recognized in foreign countries.
The position's duties also include keeping records of the official acts of the governor and legislature, affixing the state seal to the governor's official acts, administering responsibilities set forth in approximately 100 sections of Wisconsin statutes and filing oaths of office and deeds for state lands and buildings.
The office, which pays $72,551 a year, has lost authority over time, including the ability to delay publishing laws for up to 10 days, which allowed for legal challenges. That was stripped from the office in 2013.
Doug LaFollette has been secretary of state since 1983 and won reelection in 2022 for another four-year term. LaFollette opposed a proposal for the position to absorb election-oversight responsibilities — a proposal made by Republicans in several swing states.
