2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Allen County Recorder

Voted on across Allen County.

Find your exact ballot All Allen County races

What this office does

The county recorder is an elected county officer created by the Indiana Constitution. The recorder records and indexes deeds, mortgages, plats and other documents affecting land in the county and collects the fees for recording them ^{[1, 2]}.

The job in full — the duties the Indiana Code puts in it, the term, what it pays and who sets that, and what to ask a candidate.

Term: 4 years ^[1]
Term limit: No more than eight years in any twelve-year period (Indiana Constitution, Article 6, Section 2) ^[1]
Qualifications: Must have lived in the county for at least one year before the election, be registered to vote in the county by the filing deadline, and file a statement of economic interests ^[3]
Pay and staff: Set by the county council, which also fixes the number of deputies and employees; the officer files a budget estimate each summer ^{[4, 5]}
On the 2026 ballot: 54 counties; 14 contested (more candidates, including write-ins, than seats) ^[6]

What the law puts in this job (3)

Records deeds, mortgages, plats and other documents presented for recording, and keeps indexes so they can be found ^[2].
Collects recording fees set by state law ^[7].
Must complete 15 hours of training in the first year in office and 40 hours over each three years, and certify it to the State Board of Accounts ^[8].

Allen County's numbers for this office

Legal Insights county office research (Oct. 13, 2026): Indiana Gateway budgets 2019-2026 and the indicator sources linked on each line.

This office's 2026 budget

$176,150

0.1% of the county's adopted 2026 budget · 252% more than 2019, before inflation

2019 $50,0002026 $176,150

The year-by-year figures

Adopted budget, all funds, 2019-2026 (not adjusted for inflation)

2019: $50,000
2020: $45,000
2021: $75,000
2022: $200,000
2023: $140,000
2024: $196,000
2025: $200,700
2026: $176,150

Budget lines counted: 0004 COUNTY RECORDER

Adopted 2026 county budget (Form 1 line items, Form 4B) and earlier years' budgets

About this race

Recorder Nicole Keesling, a Republican first elected in 2022, is seeking a second term ^{[10, 6]}.
In the May 2026 Republican primary Keesling defeated Robert Armstrong, 12,948 votes to 8,313; Cheyenne Stoppenhagen was unopposed for the Democratic nomination ^[11].
No forum or debate between the candidates was found as of Oct. 13, 2026.

Candidates on the ballot

Nicole Keesling

RepublicanIncumbent

Republican Nicole Keesling is the current Allen County recorder, elected in 2022 after working in the recorder's office for just over three years ^[10].

Keesling's background

Elected Allen County recorder in 2022; before that worked in the recorder's office for just over three years, according to an Allen County Public Library event listing ^[10].
Holds a political science degree from Indiana University Bloomington and volunteers as a tour docent at the Allen County Courthouse, according to the same listing ^[10].
In May 2024 gave a public library presentation on the documents and records the recorder's office holds ^[10].

How Keesling got on the ballot

Won the May 5, 2026 Republican primary with 12,948 votes to 8,313 for Robert Armstrong ^[11].

What we could not find about Keesling

No campaign website or candidate questionnaire stating her plans for a second term was found as of Oct. 13, 2026.

Sources for Keesling

Researching at the Allen County Recorder's Office (event listing) (Allen County Public Library)

Cheyenne Stoppenhagen

Democratic

Cheyenne Stoppenhagen is the Democratic nominee; she was unopposed in the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary ^[11].

How Stoppenhagen got on the ballot

Won the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary unopposed, with 14,166 votes ^[11].

What we could not find about Stoppenhagen

No campaign website, candidate questionnaire, news interview or biography was found as of Oct. 13, 2026.

Sources for Stoppenhagen

2026 Primary Election results (certified), Indiana Election Night Reporting (Indiana Election Division)

Sources

Researched Tuesday, October 13, 2026

Constitution of the State of Indiana, Article 6, Section 2 (quoted in the 2026 Candidate Guide) (Indiana Election Division)
Indiana Code 36-2-11-8: Recorder; recording duties (Indiana General Assembly (2026 Indiana Code))
2026 Indiana Candidate Guide (County Offices) (Indiana Election Division)
Indiana Code 36-2-5-3: County fiscal body; compensation and positions (Indiana General Assembly (2026 Indiana Code))
Indiana Code 36-2-5-5: Officers' budget estimates (Indiana General Assembly (2026 Indiana Code))
2026 General Election Candidate List (Indiana Election Division)
Indiana Code 36-2-7-10: Recorder's fees (Indiana General Assembly (2026 Indiana Code))
Indiana Code 36-2-11-2.5: Recorder; training requirements (Indiana General Assembly (2026 Indiana Code))
Researching at the Allen County Recorder's Office (event listing) (Allen County Public Library)
2026 Primary Election results (certified), Indiana Election Night Reporting (Indiana Election Division)

What's included: the U.S. House, statewide offices, every Indiana House and Senate district on the ballot, Indiana's statewide public questions and judicial retention questions, and county, township, city, town and school board races from the Indiana Election Division's candidate list.
Everything else: Local races (county, city, school board, judges) and anything else on your ballot are on your official sample ballot: IndianaVoters.in.gov.
Candidate lists: As of Sunday, October 18, 2026.
At the polls: Indiana law lets you bring a list of candidates and public questions into the polling place, including one stored on your phone, as long as you don't electioneer. IC 3-11-8-18.5

This is not an official ballot. Confirm your registration, polling place and ballot with your election office through vote.gov.