What this office does
The prosecuting attorney is the elected lawyer who brings criminal cases on behalf of the State of Indiana, conducting all prosecutions for felonies, misdemeanors and infractions within the prosecutor's jurisdiction [1]. A prosecutor is elected in each judicial circuit rather than by county, and Indiana has 91 prosecuting attorneys [2, 3]. Candidates must be admitted to practice law in Indiana before the election [4]. Since July 2025, a state prosecutor review board can investigate complaints that a prosecutor is not following state law [5, 6].
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; prosecutors are elected in 2026, 2030, 2034 and every four years after that [2]
- Elected
- One prosecutor per judicial circuit, on the partisan November ballot; Democratic and Republican nominees are chosen in the May primary, while the Libertarian Party nominates prosecutor candidates at its state convention [2, 4]
- Term limit
- None; the office has a four-year term with no term limitations [7]
- Qualifications
- Must be admitted to the practice of law in Indiana before the election, be registered to vote in the election district by the candidate filing deadline, and file a statement of economic interest with the courts [4]
- Pay
- The state pays the minimum salary: for a full-time prosecutor, equal to the minimum salary of the circuit court judge in the same circuit, and 60% (66% in certain circuits) of that amount for other prosecutors [8]
- On the 2026 ballot
- 91 races; 11 contested [9]
What the law puts in this job (12)
- Conducts all prosecutions for felonies, misdemeanors and infractions within the prosecutor's jurisdiction, and performs other duties required by law [1].
- Represents the state in criminal cases, conducts criminal investigations, and convenes and oversees grand juries [7].
- Handles juvenile cases and prosecutes traffic and infraction violations [7].
- Enforces child support orders entered in divorce and paternity cases; the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council runs a statewide child support services program to support this work [7, 3].
- Gives information and help to crime victims [7], and must notify the victim when the prosecutor withholds prosecution under a diversion agreement [10].
- May withhold prosecution of a misdemeanor, Level 6 felony or Level 5 felony if the person agrees in writing to a pretrial diversion program, with conditions such as treatment, restitution, fees or staying away from the victim; the program is not available for certain drunk-driving charges [10].
- Superintends lawsuits in which the county or certain trust funds have an interest [1].
- Appoints a chief deputy and other deputy prosecutors; the state pays set salaries for certain deputies, and the county council appropriates money each year for other deputies, investigators, clerical staff and office expenses [11].
- Works with the county sheriff, a separately elected officer who arrests suspects and runs the county jail, and with local police agencies [12, 13].
- Receives training, manuals and legal research support from the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council, a state judicial branch agency governed by a board of 10 elected prosecutors [3].
- Since July 2025, can be the subject of a complaint to the state prosecutor review board, a board of five prosecuting attorneys that investigates whether a prosecutor is complying with state law and issues a report [6, 5].
- What the prosecutor does not control: judges decide whether a defendant is released on bail [14]; the county council appropriates the county's share of the office budget [11]; and the state sets the prosecutor's minimum salary [8].
What has changed in this job lately
Changes in the law the next officeholder will work under, most distant first.
March 2023
Senate Bill 284, which would have set up a procedure to appoint a special prosecutor when a prosecutor refuses to enforce a law, passed a House committee 9-4 and was sent to the Ways and Means Committee; the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council supported that bill and the ACLU opposed it [15].
February 2025
As passed by the House 72-24, House Bill 1006 would have created a board to investigate prosecutors who categorically refuse to prosecute laws and required the Prosecuting Attorneys Council to withhold certain funding from a prosecutor labeled noncompliant; author Rep. Chris Jeter (R-Fishers) said it is lawmakers' job to make the law and prosecutors' job to enforce it, while Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington) said voters decide every four years how prosecutors use their resources [16].
May 2025
Gov. Mike Braun signed House Enrolled Act 1006 (Public Law 147-2025), which took effect July 1, 2025, and established the prosecutor review board [17, 5, 18].
July 2025
Mirror Indy reported that under the enacted law anyone can file a complaint, a board of five prosecuting attorneys investigates, and the law does not specify consequences beyond the board's report; Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears told Fox59 the law was deliberately targeted at his office, Jeter called it a step toward holding prosecutors accountable, and Chris Naylor of the Prosecuting Attorneys Council said his group did not oppose this version [6].
2025
House Enrolled Act 1006 also requires that two members of the Indiana Commission on Court Appointed Attorneys be trial court judges [5].
November 2026
Public Question 1 asks voters whether to amend the Indiana Constitution so courts can deny bail, for offenses other than murder or treason, when the state proves by clear and convincing evidence that no release conditions will reasonably protect others or the community [19].
2026
On the bail question, author Sen. Eric Koch (R-Bedford) said releasing some defendants before trial is too dangerous to public safety, while Samantha Bresnahan of the ACLU of Indiana said detention can cost someone their job, housing and custody of their children, and Zach Stock of the Indiana Public Defender Council raised concerns about jail overcrowding [14].
Vermillion 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.
Budgeted separately, not included above: IV-D child support and victim assistance (depts 0660, 0290), $127,945.
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.
Trial-court workload per judicial officer · 2025
1.01
Weighted caseload: judicial need divided by judicial officers. Above 1.00 means more work than officers to handle it.
How much this is the officeholder's to decide: low: measures the trial courts' workload; the prosecutor's filings are one input
Position 3 of 30 counties with under 25,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)
source
Share of people in jail awaiting trial · 2019
69.0%
People held before trial as a share of the jail population.
How much this is the officeholder's to decide: low to partial: pretrial detention is decided by courts (bail) and prosecutors (charging); the county funds pretrial services
Position 19 of 29 counties with under 25,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)
source · source
About this race
- Incumbent Democrat Bruce D. Aukerman, in office since 2011, faces Republican Jim Organ [9, 20].
- Both candidates filed during the primary filing period: Organ on January 9, 2026 and Aukerman on January 13, 2026 [9]. No May 5, 2026 primary results for this office were found.
- Local news coverage of this race is very thin; no candidate interviews, forums, debates or questionnaires were found.
Who holds this seat now
Bruce D. Aukerman (Democratic) — on this ballot, standing again.
Aukerman's record in the job
- January 1, 2011: Took office as Vermillion County prosecutor [20].
- October 2023: The county announced that the prosecutor's office had received the STOP Violence Against Women grant for the second year in a row [21].
- The office, based in Newport, lists child support enforcement and victim services among its functions; its staff page lists Noah Gambill as chief deputy prosecutor [22, 23].
- No 2025–2026 news coverage of the office's caseloads, budget or charging decisions was found in the sources reviewed.
Candidates on the ballot
BA
Bruce D. Aukerman
DemocraticIncumbent
Aukerman is the sitting Vermillion County prosecutor, in office since January 1, 2011, and a board member of the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council [20].
Aukerman's background
- Undergraduate degree from Indiana University; J.D. from Southern Illinois University [20].
- Vermillion County prosecutor since January 1, 2011; member of the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council board of directors [20].
Aukerman on the current officeholder
- Is the current officeholder [20]. No statements by Aukerman about his challenger were found.
How Aukerman got on the ballot
- Filed as a Democrat on January 13, 2026, and is listed as the Democratic nominee [9]. Primary results were not found.
What we could not find about Aukerman
- No campaign website, interviews, forum appearances or questionnaire responses were found; no statements on any policy topic.
- No primary results or prior election results were found.
- No stated plans for a new term were found.
- No endorsements or campaign finance reports were found.
Organ, the Republican nominee, is an attorney who has run his own law practice since 1997, according to his BallotReady profile [9, 24]. No news coverage or campaign website was found.
Organ's background
- Attorney in private practice: his BallotReady candidate profile lists him as an attorney with his own firm, Organ Law Offices PC, since 1997, after working at Trueblood Law Firm from 1992 to 1996, and a 1991 law degree from the University of Louisville [24].
How Organ got on the ballot
- Filed as a Republican on January 9, 2026, and is listed as the Republican nominee [9]. Primary results were not found.
What we could not find about Organ
- His work history comes from his self-reported BallotReady profile; his Indiana law license (required for the office) was not independently confirmed.
- No campaign website, interviews, forum appearances or questionnaire responses were found; no statements on any policy topic.
- Coverage is very thin; profile depth reflects available sources, not the candidate.
- No stated plans for the office were found.
- No statements by Organ about Prosecutor Aukerman's record were found.
- No endorsements or campaign finance reports were found.
Key points
- Incumbent Democrat Bruce D. Aukerman, in office since 2011, faces Republican Jim Organ. (Indiana Election Division)
- Both candidates filed during the primary filing period: Organ on January 9, 2026 and Aukerman on January 13, 2026. No May 5, 2026 primary results for this office were found. (Indiana Election Division)
Sources
Researched Sunday, October 11, 2026
- Indiana Code 33-39-1-5: Duties of prosecuting attorneys (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
- Indiana Code 3-10-2-12: Election of prosecuting attorneys (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
- Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council (Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council)
- 2026 Indiana Candidate Guide (Prosecuting Attorney) (Indiana Election Division)
- Prosecutors (H.E.A. 1006, P.L. 147-2025) (Indiana Legislative Update, Indiana Office of Court Services)
- How a new Indiana law about 'noncompliant prosecutors' could affect Indy (Mirror Indy)
- Prosecutor's Office (Clark County, Indiana)
- Indiana Code 33-39-6-5: Prosecuting attorney salaries (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
- 2026 General Election Candidate List (Indiana Election Division)
- Indiana Code 33-39-1-8: Pretrial diversion (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
- Indiana Code 33-39-6-2: Deputy prosecuting attorneys (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
- 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)
- Amendment to deny bail to some offenders moves closer to November ballot (WFYI (via Indiana Public Media))
- Noncompliant prosecuting attorneys (SB 284) (Indiana Legislative Update, Indiana Office of Court Services)
- Indiana House OKs bill that could give county prosecutors less discretion (Indiana Capital Chronicle (via The Indiana Lawyer))
- IN HB1006 (2025): Prosecutors (BillTrack50)
- Michiana-area lawmaker supports new bill aiming to hold prosecutors accountable (WNDU)
- Indiana bail amendment clears General Assembly, sending detention question to November ballot (IndyPolitics.Org (reporting by Indiana Capital Chronicle))
- Vermillion County Prosecutor Bruce D. Aukerman (Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council)
- Vermillion County receives the STOP Grant (Vermillion County Government)
- Vermillion County Prosecutor's Office (State of Indiana)
- Our Staff (Vermillion County Prosecutor's Office)
- Jim Organ (candidate profile) (BallotReady)
- 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.