What Went Down In Elections In Minnesota, Wisconsin, Vermont And Connecticut

Republicans are hosting a competitive primary today for secretary of state of Wisconsin, one of the nation’s premier swing states. So why won’t we be paying attention to it tonight?

Because in Wisconsin, the secretary of state isn’t in charge of elections. In fact, it’s a largely ceremonial office, and has had most of its power stripped away in recent decades.

That said, there is a campaign afoot to change that. Some Republicans want to abolish the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission and put the secretary of state in charge of elections (presumably, only if they win the office). However, this would require the legislature and governor to change the law — and that would probably only happen if Republicans win the governorship in November. The two leading gubernatorial candidates for the GOP have offered different plans for how to replace the commission, so right now, empowering the secretary of state doesn’t seem likely.

Just in case you’re wondering, though: At least two of the three Republicans running for secretary of state have publicly aligned themselves with Trump’s false claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.