Twenty-six states are holding elections for secretary of state in November. While these states hold direct elections for the office, nine out of the 12 states in which the governor or legislature appoints the secretary of state will hold respective gubernatorial or state legislative elections in 2026. In five of those states, the secretary of state is the state’s top election official.
In Florida, Pennsylvania, and Texas, the governor will pick the next secretary of state. Currently, Florida and Texas have Republican governors, and Pennsylvania has a Democratic governor:
