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2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Sullivan County Sheriff

Voted on across Sullivan County.

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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].

Sullivan 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

$1,317,171

4.9% of the county's adopted 2026 budget · 88% more than 2019, before inflation

2019: $701,6502020: $721,5642021: $683,6442022: $747,2772023: $913,1422024: $1,065,5532025: $1,290,2872026: $1,317,171
2019 $701,6502026 $1,317,171
The year-by-year figures

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

  • 2019: $701,650
  • 2020: $721,564
  • 2021: $683,644
  • 2022: $747,277
  • 2023: $913,142
  • 2024: $1,065,553
  • 2025: $1,290,287
  • 2026: $1,317,171

Budget lines counted: 0005 COUNTY SHERIFF

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

Budgeted separately, not included above: jail/detention center (depts 0380, 0381), $2.7 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: 54.0
  • latest jail count: 53
  • count date: 2024 (Vera v3.1)
  • IDOC holds: 5
  • IDOC holds date: 2026-08-01
  • federal (USMS/ICE) housing: not found
  • jail operating budget 2026: 3676552.0
  • jail project: [Vera jail-construction file, unverified] 2022 New Jail (Pending, $39.0M, beds 56->190)

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.

Average daily jail population · 2024

53

People held on an average day.

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

source · source

Share of people in jail awaiting trial · 2023

82.0%

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

source · source

Reported crimes per 1,000 residents · 2024

7.1

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

source

About this race

  • Sheriff Jason Bobbitt is completing his first term and is eligible to run again; he faces Republican Justin Copeland, a sergeant in Bobbitt's own office, on November 3, 2026 [22, 6].
  • In the May 5, 2026 Republican primary, Copeland received 1,785 votes (55.3%) to Matt Price's 1,089 (33.7%) and Mike Luttrell's 356 (11%) in results reported by the Sullivan Times [23]. No contested Democratic sheriff primary appears in that report.
  • On March 20, 2026, Sullivan County Farm Bureau and the Sullivan Civic Center held a moderated candidate forum that included Bobbitt, Copeland, Luttrell and Price; discussion covered recruitment and retention, expanding reserve deputies, proactive patrols and leadership qualifications [21].
  • Key differences in available statements: Bobbitt points to his administrative experience and record, while Copeland says the county has fallen behind on investigative resources and that the sheriff should be more visible in schools and at public events [17].
  • No general-election forum or debate between Bobbitt and Copeland was found in available coverage.

Candidates on the ballot

Jason Bobbitt

DemocraticIncumbent

Jason Bobbitt is the incumbent Sullivan County sheriff, elected in 2022 after serving as the office's chief deputy; he says he has been a police officer for 30 years [17, 16].

Bobbitt's background

  • Sullivan County sheriff since January 2023 [16].
  • Previously chief deputy of the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office: described as seven years in 2022 coverage [24], and as eight years by Bobbitt in an April 2026 interview, in which he also said he has been a police officer for 30 years [17].
  • Said in 2022 that as chief deputy he sat in county council budget hearings for seven years and was familiar with the budget line items, though the sheriff managed the budget [24].

Bobbitt's positions

Jail & corrections

  • In 2022 said he would emphasize rehabilitation in the new jail, including Bible studies for inmates who want them, and that 'the majority of the people in that jail are really decent people. They just made a bad decision' [24].
  • In 2025 said of the inmate recovery program, 'If we can help one person, it's worth the whole effort,' and pointed to a lack of state hospital beds for people with mental illness, many of whom end up incarcerated [20].

Staffing & pay

  • At the March 2026 forum, identified recruitment and retention of deputies, jail officers and dispatchers as a top challenge, as did the other candidates [21].

How Bobbitt would run the office

  • At the March 2026 forum he said, 'I feel like I've accomplished quite a bit, but I'm not done' [21].
  • Said in July 2025 that after inmates complete program assessments, the county would consider further steps such as community housing for ongoing support [20].

Bobbitt on the current officeholder

  • Is the current officeholder. In April 2026 he said, 'I feel like I've earned the community's trust,' and that he had proven his leadership over 12 years in administration, including four as sheriff [17]. No statements about Copeland specifically were found.

How Bobbitt got on the ballot

  • Democratic nominee for sheriff in 2026 [6]; no contested Democratic sheriff primary was reported [23].

What we could not find about Bobbitt

  • No 2026 campaign website or questionnaire was found; detailed forum answers beyond the summary in the Sullivan Times were not available.
  • Reported length of his chief-deputy service differs (seven years in 2022 coverage; eight years in his own 2026 statement).
  • The exact date the new jail opened to inmates, current jail population and staffing vacancy numbers were not found.
  • No information found on school resource officers, immigration-detainer agreements or budget requests to the county council during his term.
  • No endorsements or campaign-finance totals were found in available coverage.

Sources for Bobbitt

Justin Copeland

Republican

Justin Copeland is a sergeant at the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office who won a three-way Republican primary in May 2026 [22, 23].

Copeland's background

  • Sergeant at the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office [22, 17].
  • Said at the March 2026 forum that he has served Sullivan County for the last 10 years [21].

Copeland's positions

Patrol & response

  • Says Sullivan County has 'fallen behind some neighboring counties' in the resources it uses, citing the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force and the High-Tech Crimes Unit, which he said also help with human trafficking cases [17].

School safety

  • Wants deputies 'in the schools' and at public events, building rapport and trust with the community, 'especially the kids' [22].

Staffing & pay

  • At the March 2026 forum, identified recruitment and retention of deputies, jail officers and dispatchers as a top challenge, as did the other candidates [21].

How Copeland would run the office

  • Said his 'main objective as sheriff is to be more community-oriented' [17].
  • Said at the March 2026 forum he looks forward to 'leading from the top and continuing to serve just how I've always served' [21].

Copeland on the current officeholder

  • Has not been reported criticizing Sheriff Bobbitt by name. He says the county has fallen behind other counties on investigative resources, and that 'I believe the sheriff should be out in the county engaging in the schools at the events with the public,' adding that he does not see the job as one 'where you are in an office all the time' [17].

How Copeland got on the ballot

  • Won the May 5, 2026 Republican primary with 1,785 votes (55.3%) over Matt Price and Mike Luttrell [23, 22, 6].

What we could not find about Copeland

  • No campaign website or questionnaire was found; his law-enforcement career before becoming a sergeant (start date, assignments, training) was not found beyond his statement of 10 years serving the county.
  • No stated positions found on the jail, drugs, budget or immigration enforcement.
  • No endorsements or campaign-finance totals were found in available coverage.

Sources for Copeland

Key points

  • Key differences in available statements: Bobbitt points to his administrative experience and record, while Copeland says the county has fallen behind on investigative resources and that the sheriff should be more visible in schools and at public events. (WTWO/WAWV (MyWabashValley.com))

Sources

Researched Sunday, October 11, 2026

  1. 2026 Indiana Candidate Guide (County Offices: County Sheriff) (Indiana Election Division)
  2. Indiana Code 36-2-13-5: Duties of sheriff (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  3. 2026 ISA President Statement (Jeffrey A. Balon, Porter County Sheriff) (Indiana Sheriffs' Association)
  4. Indiana Code 36-2-13-2: Sheriff residency and term (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  5. Indiana Code 36-2-13-2.8: Sheriff's salary (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  6. 2026 General Election Candidate List (Indiana Election Division)
  7. Indiana Department of Correction readies to pay $12 million in jail back payments (Indiana Capital Chronicle (via Inside INdiana Business))
  8. Indiana Code 36-8-10-3: Sheriff's merit board (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  9. Braun signs bill into law requiring jails to tell ICE about potential immigration violations (Network Indiana (via WMNC 95.3))
  10. Illegally in Indiana: New state law aims at cracking down on illegal immigration (WNDU)
  11. Indiana Code 36-2-2-24: County courthouse, jail and offices (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  12. Indiana Code 33-39-1-5: Duties of prosecuting attorneys (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  13. Amendment to deny bail to some offenders moves closer to November ballot (WFYI (via Indiana Public Media))
  14. Election 2022: Bobbitt wins Sullivan Sheriff race (WTWO/WAWV (MyWabashValley.com))
  15. Sullivan County Sheriff candidates talk leadership, community (WTWO/WAWV (MyWabashValley.com))
  16. Sullivan County starting a recovery treatment program (WTWO (via Yahoo News))
  17. SC Farm Bureau hosts 'Meet the Candidates' forum (Sullivan Times)
  18. Justin Copeland wins the Republican nomination for Sullivan County Sheriff (WTWO/WAWV (MyWabashValley.com))
  19. Sullivan County Primary Election results (Sullivan Times)
  20. Bobbitt, Snead face off for Sullivan Co. Sheriff seat (WTWO/WAWV (MyWabashValley.com))
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.