What these offices actually do

U.S. Representative

2-year term · no term limit

Members of the U.S. House write and vote on federal laws, including the federal budget and taxes, and oversee federal agencies through committees.

Secretary of State

4-year term · term-limited

Indiana's chief election official and head of four divisions: Business Services, Elections, Securities and Auto Dealer Services.

State Comptroller (Auditor of State)

4-year term · term-limited

Indiana's chief financial officer: keeps the state's accounts, pays the state's bills and employees, and distributes tax revenue to counties, cities, towns and schools. The constitutional "Auditor of State" has used…

State Representative

2-year term · no term limit

One of 100 members of the Indiana House of Representatives. Revenue bills, including the state budget, must start in the House.

State Senator

4-year term · no term limit

One of 50 members of the Indiana Senate, which with the House writes state law, the two-year state budget and the rules for local taxes.

Treasurer of State

4-year term · term-limited

The state's banker and chief investment officer, responsible for safekeeping and investing money paid into the state treasury, and chair of several state finance boards.

Clerk of the Circuit Court

4-year term

Clerk of every court in the county, collector of court fees, a member of the county election board and, in most counties, the voter registration officer.

County Assessor

4-year term · no term limit

Oversees property assessment countywide: equalization, certifying assessments to the auditor, finding omitted property and assessing in townships without their own assessor.

County Auditor

4-year term

The county's fiscal officer: keeps the books, pays claims only against appropriations, and works out tax rates and distributions for every local government in the county.

County Commissioner

4-year term · no term limit

In 91 of 92 counties, a three-member board of commissioners is the county executive (and, in most counties, also its legislative body); the council controls the money. In Marion County the elected assessor, auditor and…

County Coroner

4-year term

Investigates deaths in the county and determines the cause, manner and mechanism of death.

County Council Member

4-year term · no term limit

The county council is the county's fiscal body: it sets the county property tax rate and levy, appropriates every dollar the county spends, adopts local income tax rates and fixes the pay and number of county…

County Recorder

4-year term

Records and indexes deeds, mortgages, plats and other land documents.

County Sheriff

4-year term · term-limited

A constitutional county officer who keeps the peace, serves court papers, keeps order in county courts and runs the county jail.

County Surveyor

4-year term · no term limit

Supervises county surveying and civil engineering and is the technical authority on regulated drains.

County Treasurer

4-year term

Receives the county's money, bills and collects property taxes for every local unit, invests idle funds and pays warrants issued by the auditor.

Prosecuting Attorney

4-year term · no term limit

The elected lawyer who brings criminal cases for the State of Indiana in a judicial circuit and runs the office that enforces child support.

Constable of Small Claims Court (Marion County)

4-year term · no term limit

Bailiff of the township small claims court who serves its papers and carries out its orders.

Judge, Small Claims Court (Marion County township courts)

4-year term · no term limit

Hears civil cases of up to $10,000 and landlord-tenant possession cases in a Marion County township small claims court.

Township Assessor

4-year term · no term limit

Assesses property in a large township whose voters kept the office in 2008; elsewhere the county assessor does this work.

Township Board Member

4-year term · no term limit

The township's legislative body: adopts the township budget and tax levy and reviews the trustee's annual report.

Township Trustee

4-year term · no term limit

The township's executive: runs township assistance for residents in need, manages township property and funds and, in many townships, provides fire protection.

School Board Member

4-year term · no term limit

A school board is the elected (or partly appointed) governing body of a public school corporation. It hires and evaluates the superintendent, adopts policies and the budget, and decides whether to ask voters for a…

City Clerk-Treasurer (Attica, Covington)

4-year term · no term limit

Clerk of the city and its council; in third-class cities the elected clerk-treasurer is also the city's fiscal officer.

City Common Council Member (Attica, Covington)

4-year term · no term limit

Member of the city legislative body, which passes ordinances and controls city property, finances and appropriations.

Judge, Circuit Court and Judge, Superior Court (contested elections)

6-year term · no term limit

Trial judges elected by county voters. Circuit courts have general jurisdiction over all civil and criminal cases; superior courts have the jurisdiction their statute gives them, usually the same.

Judge, City Court

4-year term · no term limit

Judge of a city court, which hears local ordinance violations, infractions, misdemeanors and small civil cases as its statute allows.

Mayor (Attica, Covington)

4-year term · no term limit

The city executive.

Other: Lake of the Woods Sewer District (Marshall County)

One special-district race appears in the candidate list. Not researched for this file.

Town Clerk-Treasurer

4-year term · no term limit

Receives and pays out town money, keeps the town's accounts and records, and prepares budget estimates for the council.

Town Council Member

4-year term · no term limit

Member of the town legislative body; the council president is the town executive.