2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Perry County Sheriff

Voted on across Perry County. Open seat: Dave Faulkenberg is not on the ballot.

Find your exact ballot All Perry 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].

Perry 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

$1,119,486

8.0% of the county's adopted 2026 budget · 104% more than 2019, before inflation

2019 $549,5832026 $1,119,486

The year-by-year figures

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

2019: $549,583
2020: $655,297
2021: $683,367
2022: $758,116
2023: $830,328
2024: $1,104,182
2025: $1,173,165
2026: $1,119,486

Budget lines counted: 0005 COUNTY SHERIFF

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

Elected official's pay, 2026 budget line

$91,757

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), $1.4 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.

Also on the record for this office

rated capacity: 132.0
latest jail count: 55
count date: Feb 2026 (council: 'in the 50s' vs 100-110 previously)
IDOC holds: 3
IDOC holds date: 2026-08-01
federal (USMS/ICE) housing: not found
jail operating budget 2026: 1384689.0
sheriff dept actual 2025: 892034.0
jail actual 2025: 663082.0
jail project: [Vera jail-construction file, unverified] 2014 New Jail (Passed, $12.0M, beds 46->136)
staffing note: Deputy pay schedule revised after resignations

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 · Feb 2026 (council: 'in the 50s' vs 100-110 previously)

42.0%

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 16 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 3 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

74.0%

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

source · source

Reported crimes per 1,000 residents · 2025

10.4

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

source

About this race

This is an open seat: appointed Sheriff Dave Faulkenberg is not on the ballot ^{[16, 6]}.
Both nominees were unopposed in the May 5, 2026 primaries: Democrat Bryce J. Hammack received 918 votes and Republican Roger Smith 563, in final results for all 11 voting locations ^[19].
Coverage of the race is thin: no candidate questionnaires, forums or debates were found, and local coverage (Perry County News) could not be reviewed for this profile.

Candidates on the ballot

Bryce J. Hammack

Democratic

Bryce Hammack is a Tell City Police Department officer whose roles since 2004 have included detective, lieutenant and administrator, according to his campaign; he is the Democratic nominee ^{[20, 19]}.

Hammack's background

His campaign says he has worked for the Tell City Police Department since 2004 as a reserve officer, patrol officer, K9 decoy, Indiana Law Enforcement Academy general instructor, firearms instructor, evidence officer, detective, lieutenant and administrator ^[20].
Volunteer firefighter, Perry County Rescue member and Leadership Perry County graduate; studied criminology at Indiana State University, per his campaign ^[20].

How Hammack got on the ballot

Unopposed in the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary, receiving 918 votes ^[19]; listed on the general-election ballot as a Democrat ^[6].

Hammack's endorsements and funding

Accepts online contributions through an ActBlue page ^[20]; no totals, endorsements or campaign-finance reports were found.

What we could not find about Hammack

Only his own campaign fundraising page was available; no news interviews, questionnaires or forum appearances were found.
No stated positions found on the jail, staffing and pay, budget, drugs, school safety or immigration enforcement.
Campaign-finance reports were not reviewed.
No specific plans for the office were found; his campaign fundraising page does not list policy priorities ^[20].
No statements about the current or former sheriff's record were found; his campaign page refers to campaigning for 'continued progress' ^[20].

Hammack's campaign website

Sources for Hammack

Bryce Hammack (Bryce Hammack campaign (ActBlue))

Roger Smith

Republican

Roger Smith was unopposed for the Republican nomination for sheriff in May 2026; no information about his background or positions was found in available coverage ^[19].

How Smith got on the ballot

Unopposed in the May 5, 2026 Republican primary, receiving 563 votes ^[19]; listed on the general-election ballot as a Republican, with a filing date of January 7, 2026 ^[6].

What we could not find about Smith

Coverage is extremely thin: his occupation, law-enforcement experience and positions could not be found. The name is common, so care is needed to avoid confusing him with other people named Roger Smith.
No campaign website, social-media page, questionnaire or forum appearance was located.
Campaign-finance reports were not reviewed.
No background information was found in available coverage.
No campaign plans were found in available coverage.
No statements about the current or former sheriff's record were found.
No endorsements or campaign-finance totals were found in available coverage.

Sources for Smith

Perry County Primary Election 2026 - Election Results (Perry County, Indiana (election results))

Key points

This is an open seat: appointed Sheriff Dave Faulkenberg is not on the ballot. (Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW))

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))
Perry County Sheriff Alan Malone retires after serving over 30 years in law enforcement (Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW))
Perry County Primary Election 2026 - Election Results (Perry County, Indiana (election results))
Bryce Hammack (Bryce Hammack campaign (ActBlue))

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.