You want to be secretary of state? Why?

So it appears there will be another statewide Democratic primary in September, this one for secretary of state.

Scot Ross, a longtime Democratic staffer and activist, has filed the paperwork necessary to begin a campaign for the post now held by Doug LaFollette.

Which raises a few questions:

Can anybody beat a LaFollette in Wisconsin, even if it's one that's even farther removed than a kissin' cousin?

What the heck is the secretary of state's job anyway?

Why would Scot Ross (or anybody else) want it?

The answers, in no particular order:

The secretary of state's office, it is true, has fallen on hard times. Twenty years ago, it had 35 employees and was responsible for incorporating businesses and non-profits, as well as regulating lobbyists. Before 1974, the secretary of state also supervised the state's elections.

Now, the office, with 8 employees, is still responsible, as it always has been, for keeping the Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin, commissioning notary publics, registering trade names and trademarks, and filing state deeds, official acts of the legislature, and other documents. Those other, higher-profile jobs have been given to other agencies, and the secretary of state himself has been moved out of the Capitol.

Hardly anything to aspire to, it would seem. How do you campaign -- "I can guard the Great Seal better than you can?"

But back to the questions.

Yes, a LaFollette can lose in Wisconsin. Examples: Young Bob La Follette, son of Fighting Bob, who lost a US Senate primary in 1946 to a guy named Joe McCarthy. More recently, in 1986, Bronson LaFollette, grandson of Fighting Bob and son of Young Bob, lost the attorney general's office to a Republican challenger, Donald Hanaway.

Doug LaFollette is not of that family. He moved to Wisconsin to begin a political career, lost a recounted primary for Congress to Les Aspin in 1970, won election to the State Senate from Racine in 1972, and was elected secretary of state in 1974. He ran for lieutenant governor and lost in 1978, but won the secretary of state's job back in 1982 and has held it ever since. In mid-term, he ran in the US Senate primary won by Herb Kohl and got 3.7% of the Democratic vote, and lost a 1996 Congressional primary to Lydia Spottswood. Since then has been content to be SoS.

He hasn't had a challenge since 1990, when Stuart Levitan ran on a platform of eliminating the office if he won.

Ross says he's running because he wants the Secretary of State to oversee elections again and bring more accountability. He admits that changing the law will be difficult if not impossible, but thinks it's worth trying. And the State Elections Board, which handles the task now, isn't winning any popularity contents for its work.

"I will make sure everyone who has the right to vote ... and wants to vote .. gets to vote," Ross says. "I will make sure every vote is counted. I will make sure young people are encouraged and registered to vote. And I will make sure we know what special interests are involved our elections."

Ross will probably raise more money that LaFollette, who campaigns on a shoestring like the late Bill Proxmire and has raised $75 in the time since Fido was a pup.

Ross thinks he has some other appeal for Democrats, like being under 50 and having the energy and willingness to stump for other Dems -- something LaFollette, 65, does not do to help the ticket.

Is that enough to win? Maybe, maybe not. But it might make it interesting, anyway.

And Ross has one more thing going for him, as Melanie Conklin has revealed:He is from a famous political family.