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2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Marion County Sheriff

Voted on across Marion County. Open seat: Kerry Forestal is not on the ballot.

Find your exact ballotAll Marion 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].

Marion 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

$150,729,531

29.5% of the county's adopted 2026 budget · 30% more than 2019, before inflation

2019: $115,883,1122020: $119,405,6942021: $122,654,6482022: $108,511,9502023: $115,254,9912024: $129,911,1482025: $141,392,2822026: $150,729,531
2019 $115,883,1122026 $150,729,531
The year-by-year figures

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

  • 2019: $115,883,112
  • 2020: $119,405,694
  • 2021: $122,654,648
  • 2022: $108,511,950
  • 2023: $115,254,991
  • 2024: $129,911,148
  • 2025: $141,392,282
  • 2026: $150,729,531

Budget lines counted: 0005 COUNTY SHERIFF

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

  • 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.
  • Marion County (Unigov): county-unit figures only.

Also on the record for this office

  • rated capacity: 2400.0
  • latest jail count: 2400
  • count date: Jan 2026 (reached cap; Mirror Indy/WFYI Jan 16, 2026)
  • IDOC holds: 154
  • IDOC holds date: 2026-08-01
  • federal (USMS/ICE) housing: y
  • jail operating budget 2026: 21621127.0
  • jail project: Community Justice Campus (opened 2022); CJC lease debt in AFR

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 occupancy · Jan 2026 (reached cap; Mirror Indy/WFYI Jan 16, 2026)

100.0%

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 1 of 5 counties with 150,000 or more residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Average daily jail population · 2024

2,133

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 11 counties with 150,000 or more residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Share of people in jail awaiting trial · 2023

87.0%

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 3 of 11 counties with 150,000 or more residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Reported crimes per 1,000 residents · 2025

16.4

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 5 of 11 counties with 150,000 or more residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source

About this race

  • The Marion County sheriff runs the county jail, serves criminal warrants, protects county government buildings and courts, and maintains the sex offender registry, with more than 800 employees and a budget of roughly $140 million [16, 23].
  • This is an open seat: Sheriff Kerry Forestal is term-limited and is running for the Indiana Senate [17].
  • WFYI identifies jail overcrowding and the office's relationship with ICE as the two central issues for the office heading into the election [23].
  • May 5, 2026 Democratic primary: Kelvis T. Williams, the office's executive officer, defeated jail Capt. Gregory Patrick with about 55% of the vote to 45% [24].
  • No Republican ran in the primary; in July 2026 the Marion County Republican chair placed Southport Police Chief Tom Vaughn on the ballot [23, 22]. IndyPolitics described the county as roughly 65–35 Democratic [22].
  • No general-election debate or forum between Williams and Vaughn was found as of October 11, 2026.
  • Key differences: Williams presents his candidacy as continuing the work of past sheriffs and lists more sex-offender checks, higher staff pay, expanded jail programming and youth outreach [16, 24]; Vaughn emphasizes longer detention-officer training, contraband scanners, juvenile gun crime and closer cooperation with IMPD and surrounding agencies [22].

Candidates on the ballot

Tom Vaughn

Republican

Tom Vaughn, the Republican nominee, has been Southport's police chief since 2014 and began his career in 1997 at the Marion County Sheriff's Department [22, 23].

Vaughn's background

  • Southport police chief since 2014 [23, 22].
  • Began in 1997 with the Marion County Sheriff's Department, working in the jail, court security and county facility security, and later joined the Indianapolis Park Rangers; IndyPolitics describes him as a 30-year law enforcement veteran [22].
  • Describes himself as a lifelong Marion County resident [26].

Vaughn's positions

Jail & corrections

  • Lists improving "safety, training, and professionalism inside the Marion County Jail" as his top goal; says the three-week detention-staff training is insufficient and supports more training, equipment and technology, including full-body scanners to reduce contraband [22].

Staffing & pay

  • Says deputies have raised concerns about staffing, personal safety, promotions and leadership direction [22].

Patrol & response

  • Says the IMPD–Sheriff's Office merger has not worked as intended and the office has gradually given up core duties; calls for better cooperation among the sheriff's office, IMPD, excluded cities and surrounding communities, saying "crime is regional" [22].
  • Cites rising juvenile crime; wants more consistent accountability for young offenders found with guns and suggests parents should sometimes be held responsible when minors easily get firearms at home [22, 23].

How Vaughn would run the office

  • Lengthen and improve detention-staff training and add contraband-detection technology in the jail [22].
  • Improve coordination with IMPD and neighboring departments [22].

Vaughn on the current officeholder

  • Has cited "increasing demands on our jail system" and the need to restore confidence in the Sheriff's Office [23, 26]; says deputies have raised concerns about leadership direction [22].

How Vaughn got on the ballot

  • No Republican filed in the May primary; the Marion County Republican Party chair appointed Vaughn to the general-election ballot, announced in July 2026 [23, 22].

Vaughn's endorsements and funding

  • Announced his campaign through a press release issued by the Indy Republicans [23].

What we could not find about Vaughn

  • No campaign website found.
  • No stated position found on ICE detainer holds, the Department of Correction transfer backlog, or jail capacity limits.
  • Fox59 announcement article carried no exact publication date (shown as about three months old in October 2026).
  • No endorsements or campaign finance totals were found.

Sources for Vaughn

Kelvis T. Williams

Democratic

Kelvis Williams, the Democratic nominee, is deputy chief and executive officer of the Marion County Sheriff's Office, heading its Homeland Security Division, with about four decades in law enforcement [16, 24].

Williams's background

  • Deputy chief and executive officer at the sheriff's office under Sheriff Kerry Forestal; heads the Homeland Security Division, which handles security for county buildings and large events such as the Indianapolis 500 [16, 24].
  • About four decades in law enforcement, including service as an Indiana state trooper and as a counterterrorism official with the Indiana State Police [16].
  • Holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Martin University and attended the FBI National Academy and Northwestern University's School of Police Staff & Command [16].

Williams's positions

Jail & corrections

  • Would expand self-development classes in the jail, including talks from formerly incarcerated speakers, and add de-escalation training for jail staff [16].

Staffing & pay

  • Supports higher pay for employees and more training for jail staff [16, 24].

Patrol & response

  • Would increase checks on registered sex offenders, which Mirror Indy reported occur every other month [16].

Immigration enforcement

  • In the primary, supported ending the jail's housing of ICE detainees beyond short-term holds required under a new state law, a position Mirror Indy reported both Democratic candidates shared [16].

Transparency

  • Said a civilian review board is not necessary because the office is already "extremely transparent" with the media and public [16].

How Williams would run the office

  • Work with faith leaders and community groups on youth crime and other youth problems [16, 24].
  • Address homelessness in response to the new state law criminalizing encampments, a priority Mirror Indy reported both Democratic candidates shared [16].

Williams on the current officeholder

  • Presents his candidacy as continuing the work of past sheriffs, including Frank Anderson and Kerry Forestal, saying "Each sheriff has taken our agency to the next level" [16].

How Williams got on the ballot

  • Won the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary over Gregory Patrick, about 55% to 45% [24].

Williams's endorsements and funding

  • Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears supported Williams in the primary, according to Mirror Indy [25].

What we could not find about Williams

  • No campaign website or general-election platform was found; positions come from primary-season coverage.
  • No general-election statements found on jail overcrowding, the Department of Correction transfer dispute, or how he would handle ICE holds in light of state requirements.
  • No FOP or union endorsement found.
  • No campaign finance totals were found.

Sources for Williams

Key points

  • The Marion County sheriff runs the county jail, serves criminal warrants, protects county government buildings and courts, and maintains the sex offender registry, with more than 800 employees and a budget of roughly $140 million. (Mirror Indy)
  • The council-set operating cap is 2,400 (physical space about 2,900); the jail reached it in Jan. 2026. IDOC counted 154 people awaiting state transfer in the jail on Aug. 1, 2026 (140 on Jan. 1). (mirrorindy.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. Meet the Democrats running for Marion County sheriff (Mirror Indy)
  15. Marion County sheriff to run for open state Indiana Senate seat (Indiana Capital Chronicle (via Mirror Indy))
  16. The Republican Candidate for Sheriff Is Near (IndyPolitics.org)
  17. Republican challenger joins race for Marion County sheriff (WFYI Public Media)
  18. Kelvis Williams wins Democratic primary for Marion County sheriff (Mirror Indy)
  19. Marion County sheriff's candidate accused of 'shady tactics' (Mirror Indy)
  20. Longtime Southport police chief announces campaign for Marion County sheriff (FOX59)
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.