2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Martin County Sheriff

Voted on across Martin County. Open seat: Josh Greene is not on the ballot.

Find your exact ballot All Martin 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].

Martin 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

$862,170

5.7% of the county's adopted 2026 budget · 81% more than 2019, before inflation

2019 $476,7702026 $862,170

The year-by-year figures

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

2019: $476,770
2020: $536,642
2021: $616,216
2022: $637,046
2023: $704,121
2024: $800,885
2025: $908,051
2026: $862,170

Budget lines counted: 0005 COUNTY SHERIFF; fund 9543 CRU SHERIFF; fund 9554 SHERIFF RESERVE DEPUTY DONATIONS; fund 9555 SHERIFF DONATION BALLISTIC; fund 9559 IDOR SHERIFF WARRANT FEES

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

Elected official's pay, 2026 budget line

$105,864

From the county budget; verify against the county's 2026 salary ordinance. A line can include longevity pay or a second role.

Budgeted separately, not included above: jail/detention center (depts 0380, 0381), $1.0 million.

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.
Includes $7,550 in funds named for the office (for example a commissary or perpetuation fund) that are not coded to its department.

Also on the record for this office

rated capacity: 84.0
latest jail count: 75
count date: 2024 (Vera v3.1)
IDOC holds: 2
IDOC holds date: 2026-08-01
federal (USMS/ICE) housing: not found
jail operating budget 2026: 1036492.0
sheriff dept actual 2025: 891501.0
jail actual 2025: 936338.0
staffing note: Jail and dispatch staffing and pay raised at budget meetings

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 cost per inmate-day · 2025 spend / 2024 ADP

$34.20

2025 jail spending divided by the 2024 average daily population times 365.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: partial: the sheriff runs the jail and staffs it; the council funds it; state jail standards set minimum staffing; courts and prosecutors drive how many people are held

Position 19 of 19 counties with under 25,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Jail occupancy · 2024 (Vera v3.1)

89.0%

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 2 of 17 counties with under 25,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Average daily jail population · 2024

People held on an average day.

Position 6 of 30 counties with under 25,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Share of people in jail awaiting trial · 2019

75.0%

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

source · source

About this race

Martin County's sheriff runs a small department and county jail based in Shoals; the department's 2026 staff roster lists a sheriff, chief deputy, nine sworn deputies and jail and dispatch commanders ^[23].
This is an open seat: Sheriff Josh Greene is not on the November ballot ^[6]. Republican nominee Keith Keller is the department's chief deputy ^{[23, 24]}.
Main office issues in 2025–2026 county minutes: deputy and jail staff pay and staffing, lost out-of-county inmate revenue and inconsistent state reimbursements, an aging 911 system and the lack of a CAD system, and split dispatching with Loogootee ^{[17, 19, 22]}.
May 5, 2026 Republican primary: Keith Keller defeated Jonah Shaw, 1,645 to 468 ^[24].
Larry Gibson is on the ballot as an Independent ^[6]; no coverage of how he qualified was found.
No debate, forum or general-election news coverage of this race was found as of October 11, 2026.

Candidates on the ballot

Larry Gibson

Independent

Larry Gibson is on the ballot as an Independent ^[6]. No public information about his background or positions was confirmed.

How Gibson got on the ballot

Listed as an Independent candidate on the official 2026 general election candidate list ^[6].

What we could not find about Gibson

Coverage is very thin: no news article, campaign website, social media page, interview or questionnaire was found for this candidate.
Possible match, not confirmed: the Martin County sheriff's office roster lists a Capt. Larry Gibson, the only captain shown; no source reviewed ties that officer to the ballot candidate ^[23].
How he qualified as an Independent (petition signatures, filing date) was not found.
No stated positions on any office issue were found.
No background information confirmed as belonging to this candidate was found.
No statements about Sheriff Greene's record or the office's direction were found.
No endorsements or campaign finance totals were found.

Sources for Gibson

2026 General Election Candidate List (Indiana Election Division)

Keith D Keller

Republican

Keith Keller, the Republican nominee, is chief deputy of the Martin County Sheriff's Office ^{[23, 24]}.

Keller's background

Chief deputy under Sheriff Josh Greene, listed on the county's sheriff's office roster ^[23]; county minutes show him in that role from at least January 2025 ^[17].
Has represented the department before the commissioners: in May 2025 he reported jail population, open deputy and dispatch positions, and costs of the sheriff's mobile app, which commissioners voted 2–1 to reimburse with opioid settlement funds ^[25]; in December 2025 he obtained approval to replace three patrol laptops ^[26].

Keller's positions

Patrol & response

Speaking as chief deputy in March 2026, said dispatchers "do an outstanding job with the equipment they have," that the 911 system needs improvement, and that a CAD system "would be everyone's dream in law enforcement"; he suggested a lower-cost option might be available if bundled with a needed 911 upgrade, recalling an earlier quote of about $400,000 ^[22].

Transparency

In May 2025 described the sheriff's mobile app, downloaded by thousands of residents, as an important tool for reaching people who do not use social media ^[25].

Keller on the current officeholder

Is chief deputy to the current sheriff; no campaign statements about Sheriff Greene's record or the office's direction were found.

How Keller got on the ballot

Won the May 5, 2026 Republican primary over Jonah Shaw, 1,645 to 468 ^[24].

What we could not find about Keller

No campaign website, social media platform, interview or candidate questionnaire was found; positions above are statements made as chief deputy at public meetings, not campaign promises.
Years of service, prior ranks and training were not found.
No positions found on jail staffing, pay, drugs, school resource officers or immigration detainers.
No endorsements or campaign finance totals were found.

Sources for Keller

Martin County: Sheriff (Martin County, Indiana)

Key points

Martin County's sheriff runs a small department and county jail based in Shoals; the department's 2026 staff roster lists a sheriff, chief deputy, nine sworn deputies and jail and dispatch commanders. (Martin County, Indiana)
Sheriff's budget requests in 2025–2026 cited deputy and jail pay, lost out-of-county inmate revenue and an aging 911 system. Commissioners discussed 911/CAD and dispatch coordination with Loogootee in Mar. 2026. (in.gov)

Sources

Researched Sunday, October 11, 2026

2026 Indiana Candidate Guide (County Offices: County Sheriff) (Indiana Election Division)
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)
Indiana Code 36-2-13-2: Sheriff residency and term (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Indiana Code 36-2-13-2.8: Sheriff's salary (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
2026 General Election Candidate List (Indiana Election Division)
Indiana Department of Correction readies to pay $12 million in jail back payments (Indiana Capital Chronicle (via Inside INdiana Business))
Indiana Code 36-8-10-3: Sheriff's merit board (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Braun signs bill into law requiring jails to tell ICE about potential immigration violations (Network Indiana (via WMNC 95.3))
Illegally in Indiana: New state law aims at cracking down on illegal immigration (WNDU)
Indiana Code 36-2-2-24: County courthouse, jail and offices (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Indiana Code 33-39-1-5: Duties of prosecuting attorneys (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Amendment to deny bail to some offenders moves closer to November ballot (WFYI (via Indiana Public Media))
County Council minutes, January 9, 2025 (Martin County Council)
Department budget meeting minutes, August 4, 2025 (Martin County Council)
Commissioners minutes, March 31, 2026 (Martin County Board of Commissioners)
Martin County: Sheriff (Martin County, Indiana)
2026 Primary Election Results (The Shoals News)
Commissioners meeting minutes, May 27, 2025 (Martin County Board of Commissioners)
Commissioners meeting minutes, December 15, 2025 (Martin County Board of Commissioners)

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.