Redefining SOS in Wisconsin

Doug La Follette has been Secretary of State for the state of Wisconsin for 28 years. He’s the second longest serving current state-level Secretary of State after Secretary Bill Gardner of New Hampshire, who’s been serving 30 years.

But Secretary La Follette may not be there much longer: fellow Democrat Scot Ross has risen to the challenge, saying the office of the Wisconsin Secretary of State has become marginalized and is today nothing but a shadow of what it once was.



If elected, Ross’ main goal is to use his position to lobby for change in who handles elections, a power that belonged to the Wisconsin Office of the Secretary of State until 1974. Now the duties rest with the state Elections Board, whose members are appointed, not elected.

That is Ross’ dream: to bring back the glory of his state’s Office of the Secretary of State by making it directly accountable in all matters relating to state elections. La Follette is not too sure the legislature will go for that. With the Elections Board in place, he doesn’t see a need for it.

“The election process is certainly broken in places like Florida and Ohio,” La Follette writes in his website. “Clearly, having a paper trail and open voter registration are important safeguards against that kind of nonsense.”

Secretary La Follette’s campaign site shows that he is far more concerned with environmental and social issues than shaking up the the administration. The earth is a big concern for La Follette, who holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Columbia, was a former assistant professor of chemistry and ecology at the University of Wisconsin, served as Public Affairs Director for the Union of Concerned Scientists, as a national board member of the Friends of the Earth and authored the 1991 book, The Survival Handbook: a strategy for saving planet earth.

His website is more that of an academic than it is that of a politician, showcasing his articles, memberships and academic honors simply, on a soothing green background. Ross, on the other hand, has a design-oriented page that features his future plans, a catchy motto (Ross Across Wisconsin!), a quotable bio, news regarding his campaign, a press kit and high-resolution photos, and an e-mail update feature.

La Follette accepts contribution checks by mail; Ross uses PayPal.

As the country hurls itself further into the age of technology, perhaps Ross is the change the Wisconsin Office of the Secretary of State needs. A straw poll showed that 297 fellow party members at a recent Democratic convention agreed. La Follette only received 205 votes.

In an article for the Wisconsin State Journal, reporter Phil Brinkman writes Ross’ opinion on the current Secretary of State: “Ross, 37, said the seven-term incumbent has become ineffectual and hasn't done enough to prevent poaching of the office's duties by other departments.”

Still, there is something to be said for La Follette’s almost zen-like politicking. When discussing his campaign account—which totals $9,000—he said, “I can’t imagine a reason why people would give [Ross] money [for campaigning] when they could be doing something more important.”

What’s more important to Secretary Doug La Follette?

As he announced in a press release on June 7: “Protecting our state’s marvelous environment is very important for our children’s future and our tourist industry.”

While the office of the Wisconsin Secretary of State may no longer be the authority in overseeing elections, La Follette hasn’t been sitting around his office: the Wisconsin Secretary of State has kept busy furnishing public school libraries with funds acquired through the Wisconsin Public Lands Commission as well as fighting for proper forestry practices, clean water, and the preservation of Earth Day, which he helped fund in 1970.

This election is going to be more than just about the people running for office—it’s going to redefine the role of the Wisconsin Office of the Secretary of State.

The primary is taking place September 12, 2006. The winner will take on the winner of the Republican primary on November 7, 2006.

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