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2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Clark County Sheriff

Voted on across Clark County. Open seat: Scottie Maples is not on the ballot.

Find your exact ballotAll Clark County races

What this office does

The sheriff is an elected county officer created by the Indiana Constitution who arrests offenders, keeps the peace, serves court papers, keeps order in county courts and runs the county jail [1, 2]. The Indiana Sheriffs' Association describes sheriffs as constitutional officers elected by the people, whose work includes operating jails, serving civil process, providing court security and coordinating emergency response [3]. Every county elects its sheriff in 2026 for a four-year term, and no one may serve as sheriff more than eight years in any twelve-year period [1].

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; the sheriff serves until a successor is elected and qualified [4, 1]
Elected
Countywide by the county's voters on the partisan general election ballot; all county sheriffs are elected in 2026 [1]
Term limit
No more than eight years in any period of twelve years (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; a sheriff who moves out of the county forfeits the office [1, 4]
Pay
A county may pay the sheriff a salary from the county general fund of at least 50% to 100% of the state minimum salary of a full-time prosecuting attorney, depending on county population [5]
On the 2026 ballot
92 races; 26 contested [6]
What the law puts in this job (13)
  • Arrests without a warrant people who commit an offense in the sheriff's view, brings them before a county court, and holds them while the arrest is investigated [2].
  • Suppresses breaches of the peace and pursues and jails felons [2].
  • Takes care of the county jail and the prisoners held there [2, 3].
  • Serves and carries out legal papers (process) directed to the sheriff by courts and the county commissioners [2].
  • Attends and keeps order in all courts of the county, which the Sheriffs' Association describes as providing court security [2, 3].
  • Takes photographs, fingerprints and other identification data from people held for crimes, and DNA samples for felonies [2].
  • Reports twice a year to the Indiana Department of Correction the average daily cost of holding a jail prisoner [2].
  • Holds state prisoners, including people convicted of Level 6 felonies, in the county jail, for which the state reimburses counties at a daily rate set in the state budget [7].
  • Coordinates emergency response and works with local police, prosecutors and community partners [3].
  • In a county whose council creates a sheriff's merit board by ordinance, appoints three of its five members, while the county police officers elect the other two; no more than two sheriff appointees and one elected member may belong to the same party [8].
  • Must report information to federal authorities when a person arrested for a felony or misdemeanor is believed to lack legal immigration status, and, since July 2026, notify the judge setting bail when holding a person subject to an immigration detainer [9, 10].
  • May supervise and inspect businesses such as pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers [2].
  • What the sheriff does not control: the county commissioners must establish and maintain the county jail building [11]; the county makes the appropriation for feeding prisoners and sets the sheriff's salary [5]; the prosecuting attorney decides which crimes to prosecute [12]; and judges decide bail [13].

Clark 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

$7,452,021

9.6% of the county's adopted 2026 budget · 77% more than 2019, before inflation

2019: $4,209,5372020: $4,684,4312021: $4,659,1732022: $5,557,1952023: $5,598,4812024: $5,950,6982025: $6,557,8202026: $7,452,021
2019 $4,209,5372026 $7,452,021
The year-by-year figures

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

  • 2019: $4,209,537
  • 2020: $4,684,431
  • 2021: $4,659,173
  • 2022: $5,557,195
  • 2023: $5,598,481
  • 2024: $5,950,698
  • 2025: $6,557,820
  • 2026: $7,452,021

Budget lines counted: 0005 COUNTY SHERIFF

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

Budgeted separately, not included above: jail/detention center (depts 0380, 0381), $12.7 million.

  • Counties budget the jail differently: some put jail costs in the sheriff's department, others in a separate jail department. Compare the sheriff and jail together across counties.

Also on the record for this office

  • rated capacity: 686.0
  • latest jail count: 437
  • count date: 2024 (Vera v3.1)
  • IDOC holds: 12
  • IDOC holds date: 2026-08-01
  • federal (USMS/ICE) housing: y
  • jail operating budget 2026: 11459450.0
  • sheriff dept actual 2025: 5533450.0
  • jail actual 2025: 9204355.0
  • jail project: [Vera jail-construction file, unverified] 2006 Jail Expansion (Passed, $19.0M, beds 238->446)
  • staffing note: Council approved ~$463,000 one-time $5,000 retention bonuses for 77 corrections officers (Jan 2026); 2026 jail budget cut two CO positions

Measured, for this county

A position compares this county with counties of similar size. It is not a grade: for most measures a higher or lower number is neither good nor bad on its own.

Jail cost per inmate-day · 2025 spend / 2024 ADP

$57.71

2025 jail spending divided by the 2024 average daily population times 365.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: partial: the sheriff runs the jail and staffs it; the council funds it; state jail standards set minimum staffing; courts and prosecutors drive how many people are held

Position 4 of 9 counties with 50,000 to 150,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Jail occupancy · 2024 (Vera v3.1)

64.0%

Latest jail count as a share of rated capacity.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: partial: jail population depends on arrests, charging, bail and sentencing decisions by police, prosecutors and judges; the sheriff manages housing and transfers

Position 8 of 10 counties with 50,000 to 150,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Average daily jail population · 2024

437

People held on an average day.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: partial: jail population depends on arrests, charging, bail and sentencing decisions by police, prosecutors and judges; the sheriff manages housing and transfers

Position 1 of 17 counties with 50,000 to 150,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Share of people in jail awaiting trial · 2023

95.0%

People held before trial as a share of the jail population.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: low to partial for the sheriff: pretrial detention is decided by courts (bail) and prosecutors (charging); the county funds pretrial services

Position 1 of 16 counties with 50,000 to 150,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Reported crimes per 1,000 residents · 2025

20

Offenses reported by police agencies county-wide (agencies with full-year reporting), not only the sheriff's office.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: low to partial: the sheriff patrols mainly unincorporated areas; city and town police cover most residents in larger counties

Position 2 of 16 counties with 50,000 to 150,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source

About this race

  • Clark County (Jeffersonville, Clarksville, Sellersburg) is in the Louisville metro area. The sheriff runs the county jail, provides courthouse security and patrols the county [18].
  • Open seat: Incumbent Republican Scottie Maples lost his primary, so a new sheriff will take office in 2027 [17, 22].
  • Primary results (May 5, 2026): Kenny Kavanaugh defeated Maples, 5,514 votes (64.6%) to 3,019 (35.4%). Tim Deeringer defeated retired federal agent Ed Byers for the Democratic nomination, 3,755 (61.2%) to 2,381 (38.8%) [21, 17].
  • Dwight T. Ingle filed in February 2026 for the Democratic primary [16, 20]. He is on the November ballot as an Independent [6, 22].
  • Kavanaugh and Deeringer are both former Jeffersonville police chiefs [17, 18].
  • The 2025 agreement to hold ICE detainees in the county jail was a major issue at a pre-primary candidate forum. Kavanaugh said he supports keeping it. Deeringer said continuing the contract is not a simple yes-or-no question [18].
  • No general-election forum or debate including all three candidates was found.

Candidates on the ballot

Tim Deeringer

Democratic

Democratic nominee. He spent nearly 30 years at the Jeffersonville Police Department, including as chief from 2008 to 2012, and retired as a lieutenant in 2019 [18]. His stated priorities are mental-health response and regular public communication about the office's work [18].

Deeringer's background

  • Spent nearly 30 years at the Jeffersonville Police Department: chief from 2008 to 2012, and retired as a lieutenant in 2019 [18].

Deeringer's positions

Immigration enforcement

  • Supports deporting people who are in the country unlawfully and face violent charges. He said continuing the ICE housing contract is not a simple yes-or-no question, noted its financial impact, and said his first duty is protecting Clark County residents [18].

Patrol & response

  • Would focus on how the office responds to people with mental-health issues [18].

Staffing & pay

  • Would put trustworthy, qualified people in support positions and hold them accountable [18].

Transparency

  • Wants the office to be as transparent as possible, including regular communication with the public about its work [18].
  • Said the office should be run like a business [18].

How Deeringer would run the office

  • Communicate regularly with the public about the office's work [18].
  • Strengthen how deputies respond to people with mental-health issues [18].

Deeringer on the current officeholder

  • Said rebuilding trust in the sheriff's office will take change and patience [18].

How Deeringer got on the ballot

  • Won the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary over retired federal agent Ed Byers, 3,755 votes (61.2%) to 2,381 (38.8%) [21, 17].
  • Listed as the Democratic candidate on the general-election ballot [6].

What we could not find about Deeringer

  • WDRB coverage of the race could not be reviewed for this profile.
  • Whether this is his first run for public office could not be confirmed from freely available sources.
  • No campaign website was found; a third-party aggregator (The Ballot Brief) lists priorities for him, but it is not cited here.
  • No general-election forum, budget detail or school-safety positions were found.
  • No endorsements or campaign-finance figures were found.

Sources for Deeringer

Dwight T Ingle

Independent

Independent candidate on the November ballot [6, 22]. He filed in February 2026 as a candidate in the Democratic primary before appearing on the general-election ballot as an Independent [16, 20]. Little reporting on his 2026 campaign was found.

How Ingle got on the ballot

  • Filed in February 2026 as a candidate in the Democratic primary [16, 20].
  • Listed as an Independent on the general-election ballot [6, 22].

What we could not find about Ingle

  • His background, including any prior law-enforcement service and earlier campaigns for sheriff, could not be confirmed from freely available sources.
  • How he moved from the Democratic primary filing to the general-election ballot as an Independent could not be confirmed from freely available sources.
  • Coverage of Ingle's 2026 campaign is very thin. He was not among the candidates covered in Louisville Public Media's April 2026 forum story, and no positions were found.
  • A third-party site (The Ballot Brief) reported no campaign website or questionnaire response as of September 8, 2026.
  • His current occupation was not found.
  • No background information could be confirmed from freely available sources.
  • No statements by Ingle about Sheriff Maples' record or the office's direction were found.
  • No endorsements or campaign-finance figures were found.

Sources for Ingle

Kenny Kavanaugh, Jr.

Republican

Republican nominee. He spent more than three decades at the Jeffersonville Police Department, including about a decade as chief, and is now a captain there [18, 17]. He defeated incumbent Sheriff Scottie Maples in the primary [17].

Kavanaugh's background

  • Captain at the Jeffersonville Police Department [18].
  • Has 32 years of police service, according to a campaign press release, including 10 years as JPD chief that ended in August 2025 [20].
  • Spent 13 years on the department's SWAT team and served on the Southern Indiana Drug Task Force [18].
  • Board member of LifeSpring Health Systems [18].

Kavanaugh's positions

Immigration enforcement

  • Supports keeping the county's agreement to house ICE detainees [18].

Jail & corrections

  • Said he would maintain the jail to the standards the law requires [18].

Staffing & pay

  • Wants an internal organizational plan and employee surveys to learn what staff and leadership need [18].

Transparency

  • Said restoring trust requires identifying root causes rather than focusing on a single incident, and that "It's all about a culture" [18].
  • Would add "To protect and serve" to official vehicles [18].

How Kavanaugh would run the office

  • Develop an internal organizational plan and survey employees [18].
  • Keep the ICE housing agreement [18].

Kavanaugh on the current officeholder

  • When he filed, said new leadership would bring a fresh perspective to the sheriff's office [16].
  • After the primary, thanked Maples for his service and said he looked forward to working with Maples' team. He said the result showed people were ready to move forward [17].

How Kavanaugh got on the ballot

  • Filed as a Republican on the February 2026 deadline [16].
  • Won the May 5, 2026 Republican primary over incumbent Scottie Maples, 5,514 votes (64.6%) to 3,019 (35.4%) [21, 17].
  • Listed as the Republican candidate on the general-election ballot [6].

What we could not find about Kavanaugh

  • WDRB coverage of the pre-primary forum could not be reviewed for this profile.
  • A third-party site (The Ballot Brief) reported no campaign website as of September 2026.
  • No general-election forum, budget proposals or school-safety positions were found.
  • No endorsements or campaign-finance figures were found.

Sources for Kavanaugh

Key points

  • Clark County (Jeffersonville, Clarksville, Sellersburg) is in the Louisville metro area. The sheriff runs the county jail, provides courthouse security and patrols the county. (Louisville Public Media)
  • ICE has paid $90/day since April 2025; $2.95 million was received through May 2026 (IPM). Council members said the revenue is not counted as ongoing. A local group asked commissioners for an independent financial analysis before the 2027 budget. (ipm.org)

Sources

Researched Sunday, October 11, 2026

  1. 2026 Indiana Candidate Guide (County Offices: County Sheriff) (Indiana Election Division)
  2. Indiana Code 36-2-13-5: Duties of sheriff (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  3. 2026 ISA President Statement (Jeffrey A. Balon, Porter County Sheriff) (Indiana Sheriffs' Association)
  4. Indiana Code 36-2-13-2: Sheriff residency and term (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  5. Indiana Code 36-2-13-2.8: Sheriff's salary (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  6. 2026 General Election Candidate List (Indiana Election Division)
  7. Indiana Department of Correction readies to pay $12 million in jail back payments (Indiana Capital Chronicle (via Inside INdiana Business))
  8. Indiana Code 36-8-10-3: Sheriff's merit board (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  9. Braun signs bill into law requiring jails to tell ICE about potential immigration violations (Network Indiana (via WMNC 95.3))
  10. Illegally in Indiana: New state law aims at cracking down on illegal immigration (WNDU)
  11. Indiana Code 36-2-2-24: County courthouse, jail and offices (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  12. Indiana Code 33-39-1-5: Duties of prosecuting attorneys (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  13. Amendment to deny bail to some offenders moves closer to November ballot (WFYI (via Indiana Public Media))
  14. Former Jeffersonville police chief running for Clark County, Ind. sheriff (Louisville Public Media)
  15. Kavanaugh knocks incumbent Maples out of Clark County sheriff's race (Louisville Public Media)
  16. Clark County sheriff candidates talk goals, ICE detention and moving past Jamey Noel (Louisville Public Media)
  17. Former Jeffersonville police chief running for Clark County Sheriff (WAVE News)
  18. 2026 Primary Election Results (Election Night Reporting archive) (Indiana Election Division)
  19. Here's who's running for local seats in Clark and Floyd counties (Louisville Public Media)
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.