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2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Center Township Board Member, Hancock County

Vote for up to 3.

Find your exact ballotAll Hancock County races

Who votes on this seat: Only voters who live in this township vote in this race.

What this office does

The township board is the three-member legislative body of an Indiana township. It adopts the township budget and tax levy, sets the pay of township officers and employees, and reviews the trustee's annual report [1, 2, 3, 4].

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]
Seats
Three per township; voters may choose up to three candidates [1, 5]
Qualifications
Must be registered to vote in the township by the filing deadline and file a statement of economic interests [6]
On the 2026 ballot
921 township boards; 302 contested (more candidates, including write-ins, than seats) [5]
What the law puts in this job (4)
  • Adopts the township's annual budget and tax levy [2].
  • Fixes the salaries and pay of township officers and employees [3].
  • Meets each February to review the trustee's annual report and approve it in whole or in part [4, 7].
  • Does not run township operations day to day; that is the trustee's job as township executive [8].

About this race

  • Voters may choose up to 3; 6 candidates are on the list [5].
  • No candidate forum or debate for this race was found in free sources as of Oct. 13, 2026.

Candidates on the ballot

Dakota M. Coates

Republican

Dakota M. Coates is a Republican candidate [5].

How Coates got on the ballot

  • Finished second of 4 in the May 5, 2026 Republican primary for 3 nominations, with 1,565 votes [10].

What we could not find about Coates

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

Sources for Coates

David Hawkins

Republican

David Hawkins is a Republican candidate [5].

How Hawkins got on the ballot

  • Finished first of 4 in the May 5, 2026 Republican primary for 3 nominations, with 1,572 votes [10].

What we could not find about Hawkins

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

Sources for Hawkins

Bryan Leonard

Republican

Bryan Leonard is a Republican candidate [5].

How Leonard got on the ballot

  • Finished third of 4 in the May 5, 2026 Republican primary for 3 nominations, with 1,524 votes [10].

What we could not find about Leonard

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

Sources for Leonard

Justin S. Sweigart

Democratic

Justin S. Sweigart is a Democratic candidate [5].

How Sweigart got on the ballot

  • Nominated in the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary, where the number of candidates did not exceed the seats (541 votes) [10].

What we could not find about Sweigart

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

Sources for Sweigart

Jesse Vetters

Democratic

Jesse Vetters is a Democratic candidate [5].

How Vetters got on the ballot

  • Nominated in the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary, where the number of candidates did not exceed the seats (657 votes) [10].

What we could not find about Vetters

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

Sources for Vetters

Jon P. Wogenstahl

Democratic

Jon P. Wogenstahl is a Democratic candidate [5].

How Wogenstahl got on the ballot

  • Nominated in the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary, where the number of candidates did not exceed the seats (521 votes) [10].

What we could not find about Wogenstahl

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

Sources for Wogenstahl

Key points

Sources

Researched Tuesday, October 13, 2026

  1. Indiana Code 36-6-6-2: Township legislative body; membership and election (Indiana General Assembly (2026 Indiana Code))
  2. Indiana Code 36-6-6-11: Township legislative body; annual budget (Indiana General Assembly (2026 Indiana Code))
  3. Indiana Code 36-6-6-10: Township legislative body; salaries and pay (Indiana General Assembly (2026 Indiana Code))
  4. Indiana Code 36-6-6-9: Township legislative body; annual meeting and trustee's report (Indiana General Assembly (2026 Indiana Code))
  5. 2026 General Election Candidate List (Indiana Election Division)
  6. 2026 Indiana Candidate Guide (County Offices) (Indiana Election Division)
  7. Township Requirements (Indiana State Board of Accounts)
  8. Indiana Code 36-6-4-3: Township executive; duties (Indiana General Assembly (2026 Indiana Code))
  9. 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.