of tile, options and leases of state lands; The signatures and impressions of the official seal of the county clerks and registers of deeds in each of Wisconsin's 72 counties; Apostilles and authentications of notarial acts and other official documents deposited in his or her office; and Unless otherwise directed by law, all bonds, mortgages, and other securities, for money, for which the State of Wisconsin is a party. Aside from these functional responsibilities, the Secretary of State is an ex officio member of the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands. Moreover, the Secretary of State is second in the order of succession to the office of Governor; under the current terms of the constitution, if the Governor dies, resigns or is removed from office and the office of the Lieutenant Governor is vacant, the Secretary of State becomes Governor, whereas in the vacancy of the office of Lieutenant Governor and the absence from the state, impeachment or inability to serve due to illness on the part of the Governor, the Secretary of State merely becomes Acting Governor. These terms came into effect with an amendment to the constitution in 1979; originally, in all of these events, the Secretary of State simply became Acting Governor. While Secretaries of State have at times briefly acted as Governor, none has ever become Governor, or acted as Governor in circumstances that would have caused him or her to become Governor had the 1979 amendment been in effect at the time. History of the office The Secretary of State’s office has existed since before Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848 and has a storied past. For most of Wisconsin’s history, the Secretary of State was one of the most powerful positions in state government, perhaps second only to the Governor. In 1929 for example, the Secretary of State registered businesses, issued driver’s licenses, preserved important government records and, as Wisconsin’s central elections officer, canvassed election returns, maintained voter records, regulated lobbyists, and enforced state election laws. In addition, prior to the passage of a 1946 constitutional amendment, the Secretary of State served as ex officio state auditor. As the role of state auditor was understood at the time, the Secretary of State acted as a comptroller, maintaining and settling state accounts and approving the disbursement of public funds out of the state treasury. Following passage of the constitutional amendment however, budgetary control and accounting of