Alexi Giannoulias, the Democratic incumbent, is running for reelection as Illinois Secretary of State in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.
He faces Republican Diane M. Harris.
Giannoulias has held the office since 2023, according to BallotReady. He has said his priorities include modernizing state services, expanding voter access and strengthening ethics rules.
Candidate information
- Party: Democratic
- Office sought: Illinois Secretary of State
- Residence: Chicago, where he lives with his wife, Josephine, and their four daughters, according to his campaign website
- Education: Bachelor's degree in economics, cum laude, from Boston University (1998); juris doctor from Tulane University
- Background: Born in Chicago to Greek immigrant parents. His mother, Anna, is from Chania, Greece, and his late father, Alexis, was from Kalavryta, Greece, according to Wikipedia. While at Boston University, Giannoulias played on the men's basketball team, helping the program reach a 1997 NCAA tournament appearance, according to his campaign website.
Experience and public service
Giannoulias served as Illinois state treasurer from 2007 to 2011, according to BallotReady. He was the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in 2010, according to Wikipedia.
Before entering politics, Giannoulias said he worked as vice president and senior loan officer at Broadway Bank from 2002 to 2006. He played professional basketball for Panionios B.C. in Greece from 1998 to 1999, according to Wikipedia.
Giannoulias said he later served as chairman of the Illinois Community College System starting in 2011 and as a senior director at BNY Mellon Wealth Management. He said he also taught as an adjunct professor at Northwestern University and served on the Chicago Public Library Board of Directors starting in 2018. He said he founded the Kanela Breakfast Club Restaurant Group and is chief executive officer and founder of Annoula Ventures.
Endorsements (claimed by endorsers): AFL-CIO, Planned Parenthood Illinois Action, Personal PAC, Cook County Democrats, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Equality IL, Chicago Federation of Labour, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 134, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 399, IUOE Local 150, United Hellenic Voters of America, Will County Progressives, Italian American Political Coalition and St. Clair County Democrats.
On the issues
The following positions are drawn from Giannoulias' responses on his campaign website and through BallotReady. They reflect the candidate's own statements.
Digital services and transportation
Giannoulias said he plans to expand the office's "Skip the Line" appointment program to every Secretary of State facility in Illinois. He said he wants to introduce a mobile app that would let residents upload documents, receive renewal reminders and access services online to reduce in-person visits.
He said he will draft legislation to allow digital driver's licenses and state identification cards on phones. Giannoulias also said he supports working with State Rep. LaShawn Ford to repeal the state law banning items hung from a vehicle's rearview mirror. He called the repeal a road-safety measure for motorists and police officers.
Voter access
Giannoulias said he has proposed changes to the state's automatic voter registration system. The change would automatically add eligible voters to the rolls without requiring additional steps during a visit to a driver's license facility, he said. He said he also wants to let 16- and 17-year-olds pre-register to vote and become automatically registered when they turn 18.
Ethics and government reform
Giannoulias said he supports requiring elected officials to disclose outside income and business relationships on their Statements of Economic Interest. He said he backs a two-year "revolving door" policy to prevent state lawmakers from becoming lobbyists immediately after leaving the legislature. He also said he supports a statewide searchable database for lobbyist activity and expanding the powers of inspectors general with subpoena authority.
Criminal justice
Giannoulias said he would push the state to provide ex-offenders with valid state identification cards before their release from prison. He said he supports legislation, signed into law in 2026, that prohibited the state and municipalities from suspending driver's licenses over unpaid parking tickets and fines.
Libraries and education
Giannoulias said he plans to implement a "License to Read" program to expand library access, add educational programs and increase digital services. He said his office would take action against what he called "far right attempts to ban books."
Endorsements
Alexi Giannoulias’ campaign website lists support from Democratic officials, labor unions and advocacy organizations. Named supporters include Jesús “Chuy” García, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Jan Schakowsky, Brad Schneider and Mike Quigley, along with former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun and former Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White. Political organizations listed include the Democratic Party of Illinois, the Cook County Democratic Party and Our Revolution Illinois.
The list also includes the Illinois AFL-CIO, AFSCME, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, the SEIU Illinois State Council, the United Auto Workers and Teamsters Joint Council 25. Advocacy supporters include Equality Illinois, Personal PAC, Planned Parenthood of Illinois and the Sierra Club’s Illinois Chapter. The page appears to retain endorsements from his 2022 campaign, including an explicitly dated 2022 designation, so it should not be treated as a confirmed list of renewed 2026 endorsements.
Candidate responses were collected through BallotReady questionnaires and the candidate's campaign website. Evanston Wire presents these positions to help voters understand where candidates stand. This profile does not constitute an endorsement.
