2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Prosecuting Attorney of Jay County, 58th Judicial Circuit

Voted on across Jay County.

Find your exact ballot All Jay County races

What this office does

The prosecuting attorney is the elected lawyer who brings criminal cases on behalf of the State of Indiana, conducting all prosecutions for felonies, misdemeanors and infractions within the prosecutor's jurisdiction ^[1]. A prosecutor is elected in each judicial circuit rather than by county, and Indiana has 91 prosecuting attorneys ^{[2, 3]}. Candidates must be admitted to practice law in Indiana before the election ^[4]. Since July 2025, a state prosecutor review board can investigate complaints that a prosecutor is not following state law ^{[5, 6]}.

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; prosecutors are elected in 2026, 2030, 2034 and every four years after that ^[2]
Elected: One prosecutor per judicial circuit, on the partisan November ballot; Democratic and Republican nominees are chosen in the May primary, while the Libertarian Party nominates prosecutor candidates at its state convention ^{[2, 4]}
Term limit: None; the office has a four-year term with no term limitations ^[7]
Qualifications: Must be admitted to the practice of law in Indiana before the election, be registered to vote in the election district by the candidate filing deadline, and file a statement of economic interest with the courts ^[4]
Pay: The state pays the minimum salary: for a full-time prosecutor, equal to the minimum salary of the circuit court judge in the same circuit, and 60% (66% in certain circuits) of that amount for other prosecutors ^[8]
On the 2026 ballot: 91 races; 11 contested ^[9]

What the law puts in this job (12)

Conducts all prosecutions for felonies, misdemeanors and infractions within the prosecutor's jurisdiction, and performs other duties required by law ^[1].
Represents the state in criminal cases, conducts criminal investigations, and convenes and oversees grand juries ^[7].
Handles juvenile cases and prosecutes traffic and infraction violations ^[7].
Enforces child support orders entered in divorce and paternity cases; the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council runs a statewide child support services program to support this work ^{[7, 3]}.
Gives information and help to crime victims ^[7], and must notify the victim when the prosecutor withholds prosecution under a diversion agreement ^[10].
May withhold prosecution of a misdemeanor, Level 6 felony or Level 5 felony if the person agrees in writing to a pretrial diversion program, with conditions such as treatment, restitution, fees or staying away from the victim; the program is not available for certain drunk-driving charges ^[10].
Superintends lawsuits in which the county or certain trust funds have an interest ^[1].
Appoints a chief deputy and other deputy prosecutors; the state pays set salaries for certain deputies, and the county council appropriates money each year for other deputies, investigators, clerical staff and office expenses ^[11].
Works with the county sheriff, a separately elected officer who arrests suspects and runs the county jail, and with local police agencies ^{[12, 13]}.
Receives training, manuals and legal research support from the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council, a state judicial branch agency governed by a board of 10 elected prosecutors ^[3].
Since July 2025, can be the subject of a complaint to the state prosecutor review board, a board of five prosecuting attorneys that investigates whether a prosecutor is complying with state law and issues a report ^{[6, 5]}.
What the prosecutor does not control: judges decide whether a defendant is released on bail ^[14]; the county council appropriates the county's share of the office budget ^[11]; and the state sets the prosecutor's minimum salary ^[8].

Jay 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

$359,861

1.4% of the county's adopted 2026 budget · 58% more than 2019, before inflation

2019 $227,8342026 $359,861

The year-by-year figures

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

2019: $227,834
2020: $267,406
2021: $274,455
2022: $286,570
2023: $313,431
2024: $342,713
2025: $358,805
2026: $359,861

Budget lines counted: 0009 PROSECUTING ATTORNEY; fund 9505 Deferral (County User Fee)

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

Includes $5,500 in funds named for the office (for example a commissary or perpetuation fund) that are not coded to its department.

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.

Trial-court workload per judicial officer · 2025

0.595

Weighted caseload: judicial need divided by judicial officers. Above 1.00 means more work than officers to handle it.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: low: measures the trial courts' workload; the prosecutor's filings are one input

Position 20 of 30 counties with under 25,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source

Share of people in jail awaiting trial · 2023

76.0%

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

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

Position 12 of 29 counties with under 25,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

About this race

The current officeholder, Wesley A. Schemenaur (Democratic), is on the ballot for another term ^{[3, 9]}.
Only one candidate is on the ballot for this office ^[9].

Candidates on the ballot

Wesley A. Schemenaur

DemocraticIncumbent

Wesley A. Schemenaur (Democratic) is the current officeholder, according to the county ^[3].

Schemenaur's background

Listed by the county as the current officeholder ^[3].

How Schemenaur got on the ballot

Won the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary unopposed, with 364 votes ^[20].

What we could not find about Schemenaur

No campaign website, candidate questionnaire or interview stating plans for the office was found in free sources as of Oct. 13, 2026.

Sources for Schemenaur

Find Your Prosecutor: Jay County (Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council)

Key points

The current officeholder, Wesley A. Schemenaur (Democratic), is on the ballot for another term. (Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council)
Only one candidate is on the ballot for this office. (Indiana Election Division)

Sources

Researched Tuesday, October 13, 2026

Indiana Code 33-39-1-5: Duties of prosecuting attorneys (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Indiana Code 3-10-2-12: Election of prosecuting attorneys (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Find Your Prosecutor: Jay County (Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council)
2026 Indiana Candidate Guide (Prosecuting Attorney) (Indiana Election Division)
Prosecutors (H.E.A. 1006, P.L. 147-2025) (Indiana Legislative Update, Indiana Office of Court Services)
How a new Indiana law about 'noncompliant prosecutors' could affect Indy (Mirror Indy)
Prosecutor's Office (Clark County, Indiana)
Indiana Code 33-39-6-5: Prosecuting attorney salaries (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
2026 General Election Candidate List (Indiana Election Division)
Indiana Code 33-39-1-8: Pretrial diversion (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Indiana Code 33-39-6-2: Deputy prosecuting attorneys (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Indiana Code 36-2-13-5: Duties of sheriff (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
2026 ISA President Statement (Jeffrey A. Balon, Porter County Sheriff) (Indiana Sheriffs' Association)
Amendment to deny bail to some offenders moves closer to November ballot (WFYI (via Indiana Public Media))
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.