A total of 1,745 county candidates are on the ballot for the 2026 general election for the offices of judge/executive, magistrate/commissioner, sheriff, jailer, property valuation administrator (PVA), county clerk, county attorney and coroner.
Here’s the breakdown:
Number of candidates by office
Magistrates/commissioners make up the bulk of total candidates on the ballot, with 754 names appearing next Tuesday. Judge/executives are next in line, with 177 candidates. County attorneys and PVAs have the fewest number of candidates, each with 125 candidates.
Political party
A majority of the candidates on the ballot are Republican (71%) while Democratic candidates make up 28%. The remaining 1% (a total of 22 candidates) are Other/Independent.
Incumbent status
A slight majority – 57% – of all candidates on the ballot are incumbents: 45% of Democratic candidates, 63% of Republican candidates and 14% of Other/Independent candidates currently hold the office they are seeking.
The office with the largest percentage of incumbent candidates is county attorney (80% of candidates are incumbents) followed by PVA (77% are incumbents) and coroner (74% are incumbents).
On Election Day, check out KACo's election results page for county candidate election outcomes HERE.
Note: Figures reflect KACo’s analysis of candidates appearing on the Nov. 3 general election ballot, including those running unopposed. Does not include write-in candidates. Percentages rounded to whole numbers.
