What this office does
The county auditor is an elected county officer created by the Indiana Constitution and is the county's fiscal officer. The auditor keeps the county's books, pays claims only when money has been appropriated, serves as clerk to the commissioners and council, and works out tax rates and distributions for the local governments in the county [1, 2, 3, 4].
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 limit
- No more than eight years in any twelve-year period (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 [5]
- Pay and staff
- Set by the county council, which also fixes the number of deputies and employees; the officer files a budget estimate each summer [6, 7]
- On the 2026 ballot
- 65 counties; 15 contested (more candidates, including write-ins, than seats) [8]
What the law puts in this job (6)
- Is the fiscal officer of the county and keeps its accounts [2].
- Receives claims against the county, presents them to the commissioners, and issues warrants only when the commissioners or a court order it [9, 10].
- May not let any line of appropriation be overdrawn, and may draw a warrant only if the county council has appropriated the money [3, 4].
- Settles property tax collections with the treasurer twice a year and distributes the money to the county, schools, cities, towns, townships and other local units [11].
- Certifies the county's net assessed value to the Department of Local Government Finance each year for setting tax rates [12].
- Files the county's annual financial report with the State Board of Accounts [13].
St. Joseph 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.
The auditor's department in this county also carries money that passes through to other purposes (debt payments, contracts, transfers), so its total would overstate what the office costs.
Also on the record for this office
- property tax billing software: not confirmed (Gateway file not obtained) (source: )
About this race
- Auditor John Murphy, a Democrat, is not a candidate for auditor in 2026 [14, 8].
- No candidate forum or debate for this race was found in free sources as of Oct. 13, 2026.
Candidates on the ballot
Republican Abby Doyle is St. Joseph County's chief deputy auditor, overseeing budgeting, payroll and financial reporting, according to her Government Finance Officers Association biography [15].
Doyle's background
- Chief deputy auditor for St. Joseph County, responsible for budgeting, payroll and reporting for a budget of about $250 million, according to the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) [15].
- Holds a Master of Professional Accounting and serves on the GFOA Budget Committee [15].
- The GFOA biography credits her with work on internal controls and the county's first submission for the GFOA Distinguished Budget Presentation Award [15].
How Doyle got on the ballot
- Won the May 5, 2026 Republican primary unopposed, with 8,588 votes [16].
What we could not find about Doyle
- No campaign website, candidate questionnaire or interview stating plans for the office was found in free sources as of Oct. 13, 2026.
Democrat Autumn Kaylor worked 15 years at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and later in corporate finance; her party says she is running "to bring a disciplined, transparent, and accountable approach to managing taxpayer dollars" [17].
Kaylor's background
- Spent 15 years with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and later worked in corporate finance managing financial operations and audits, according to the county Democratic Party [17].
How Kaylor would run the office
- Running "to bring a disciplined, transparent, and accountable approach to managing taxpayer dollars," according to her party's candidate page [17].
What we could not find about Kaylor
- How the party filled its ballot spot after the primary (for example by caucus) was not confirmed.
- No Democratic candidate was on the May 5, 2026 primary ballot for this office; listed as the Democratic candidate on the state's Sept. 22 general-election list [16, 8].
Kaylor's campaign website
Key points
- Auditor John Murphy, a Democrat, is not a candidate for auditor in 2026. (WVPE)
- 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.