2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Center Township Board Member, Howard County

Vote for up to 3.

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

Tom Cleaver

Republican

Tom Cleaver is a Republican candidate [5].

How Cleaver got on the ballot

  • Listed as a Republican candidate on the state's Sept. 22 general-election list; this office's May 2026 primary result was not found in the state results data reviewed [5].

What we could not find about Cleaver

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

Sources for Cleaver

Essie Foster

Democratic

Essie Foster is a Democratic candidate [5].

How Foster got on the ballot

  • Listed as a Democratic candidate on the state's Sept. 22 general-election list; this office's May 2026 primary result was not found in the state results data reviewed [5].

What we could not find about Foster

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

Sources for Foster

Hannah Guillaume

Democratic

Hannah Guillaume is a Democratic candidate [5].

How Guillaume got on the ballot

  • Listed as a Democratic candidate on the state's Sept. 22 general-election list; this office's May 2026 primary result was not found in the state results data reviewed [5].

What we could not find about Guillaume

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

Sources for Guillaume

Linda J Koontz

Republican

Linda J Koontz is a Republican candidate [5].

How Koontz got on the ballot

  • Listed as a Republican candidate on the state's Sept. 22 general-election list; this office's May 2026 primary result was not found in the state results data reviewed [5].

What we could not find about Koontz

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

Sources for Koontz

Mercedes Merc Lahr

Democratic

Mercedes Merc Lahr is a Democratic candidate [5].

How Lahr got on the ballot

  • Listed as a Democratic candidate on the state's Sept. 22 general-election list; this office's May 2026 primary result was not found in the state results data reviewed [5].

What we could not find about Lahr

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

Sources for Lahr

Debra J Rahe

Republican

Debra J Rahe is a Republican candidate [5].

How Rahe got on the ballot

  • Listed as a Republican candidate on the state's Sept. 22 general-election list; this office's May 2026 primary result was not found in the state results data reviewed [5].

What we could not find about Rahe

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

Sources for Rahe

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))
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.