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2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Wayne Township Trustee, Marion County

Voted on by residents of Wayne Township, in Marion County.

Find your exact ballotAll Marion County races

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

What this office does

The township trustee is the elected executive of an Indiana township. The trustee administers township assistance (help for residents in need), manages township property and funds and, where the township provides it, fire protection, and prepares the budget that the township board adopts [1, 2].

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 [3]
Elected
By the voters of the township on the partisan general-election ballot [3]
Qualifications
Must be registered to vote in the township by the filing deadline and file a statement of economic interests [4]
On the 2026 ballot
940 townships; 152 contested (more candidates, including write-ins, than seats) [5]
What the law puts in this job (5)
  • Is the township executive: keeps township records, manages township property and pays township obligations [1].
  • Administers township assistance for residents who cannot meet basic needs, under state standards [6].
  • Prepares the township budget, which the three-member township board adopts [2].
  • In many townships, provides or contracts for fire protection and emergency services [7].
  • Files an annual report on township receipts and spending, which the township board reviews [8, 9].

About this race

  • No candidate forum or debate for this race was found in free sources as of Oct. 13, 2026.

Candidates on the ballot

Jeb Bardon

Democratic

Democrat Jeb Bardon has been Wayne Township trustee since July 2022, when a Democratic caucus chose him to finish the term of Chuck Jones; he previously served 14 years in the Indiana House [11, 12].

Bardon's background

  • Chosen unanimously by a Democratic caucus on July 9, 2022 to fill the rest of Trustee Chuck Jones's term, according to WRTV [11].
  • Represented part of Indianapolis in the Indiana House from 1998 to 2012; a local business owner [13, 11].
  • As trustee in 2022, replaced the township fire chief, hired an internal auditor and planned a chief financial officer position and an anti-nepotism policy, according to IndyStar [12].

How Bardon would run the office

  • When chosen in 2022, said his top priorities were to "improve transparency, financial oversight, and overall services to the public" and to recover misused taxpayer money [11].

How Bardon got on the ballot

  • Won the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary unopposed, with 6,419 votes [14].

What we could not find about Bardon

  • Whether he won the November 2022 election for a full term is inferred from Wikipedia's description of him as the current trustee, not from official results reviewed.
  • No 2026 campaign statement was found.

Sources for Bardon

Kent E. Wells

Republican

Kent E. Wells is the Republican nominee [14].

How Wells got on the ballot

  • Won the May 5, 2026 Republican primary unopposed, with 1,854 votes [14].

What we could not find about Wells

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

Sources for Wells

Sources

Researched Tuesday, October 13, 2026

  1. Indiana Code 36-6-4-3: Township executive; duties (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 36-6-4-2: Township executive; election and term (Indiana General Assembly (2026 Indiana Code))
  4. 2026 Indiana Candidate Guide (County Offices) (Indiana Election Division)
  5. 2026 General Election Candidate List (Indiana Election Division)
  6. Indiana Code 12-20-1-1: Township trustee as administrator of township assistance (Indiana General Assembly (2026 Indiana Code))
  7. Indiana Code 36-8-13-3: Township fire protection and emergency services (Indiana General Assembly (2026 Indiana Code))
  8. Indiana Code 36-6-6-9: Township legislative body; annual meeting and trustee's report (Indiana General Assembly (2026 Indiana Code))
  9. Township Requirements (Indiana State Board of Accounts)
  10. New Wayne Township trustee elected (WRTV)
  11. Inside Marion County trustee races, including plans to reform troubled Wayne Township (by Ko Lyn Cheang; via Yahoo News) (IndyStar)
  12. Jeb Bardon (Wikipedia)
  13. 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.