Which Counties Elect Their Prosecutors and Sheriffs in 2022?

Under the hood of the federal midterms, 2022 will shape criminal legal institutions around the nation.

There are more than 2400 elections for prosecutor and sheriff, starting in the Texas primary on March 1 and ending in possible general election runoffs in December.

Before we can get to who will run and what may change, the challenge is identifying which offices are even on the line. Below is the Bolts database of the local elections happening this year.

For more coverage, read our introductory national primer published in February, and our guide to the 30 most critical general elections for these offices, published in October.

Also read our primers on Arkansas, California, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, Utah, and Texas.

This database, prepared by Daniel Nichanian and updated as of March. (Note: As vacancies arise, new special elections may be added to the table.)

State ProsecutorSheriffKey Dates
Alabama One in each circuit, though Jefferson County’s circuit has two districtsOne per countyFiling deadline: 1/28

Primaries: 5/24 & 6/21
Alaska Not electedNot electedN/A
ArizonaMaricopa County (special election)No regular election Primary: Aug. 2
ArkansasOne or two per judicial circuitOne per countyFiling deadline: 3/1

Primaries: 5/31 & 6/21
CaliforniaOne per county (except Los Angeles) One per county (except San Francisco) Filing deadline: 3/11

Primary: 6/7
ColoradoNo regular election One per county (except in Bloomfield & Denver) Filing deadline: 3/15

Primary: 6/28
Connecticut Not electedNot elected N/A
Delaware Not electedOne per countyFiling deadline: 7/12

Primary: 9/13
Florida Elections in the 6th judicial circuit (special, Pasco and Pinellas) and 20th circuit (Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, and Lee)No regularly scheduled election Filing deadline: 4/29

Primary: 8/23
Georgia 7 circuits have regular elections: Atlantic (Bryan, Evans, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, Tattnall), Douglas (Douglas), Enotah (Lumpkin, Towns,Union, White), Northeastern (Dawson, Hall), Paulding (Paulding), Rockdale (Rockdale), Waycross (Bacon, Brantley, Charlton, Coffee, Pierce, Ware). In addition, there will be special elections in the circuits of: Alapaha, Cherokee, Columbia, Cordele and Pataula.No regularly scheduled electionFiling deadline: 3/11

Primaries: 5/24 & 6/21
Hawaii No regularly scheduled election Not electedN/A
Idaho No regularly scheduled election No regularly scheduled election N/A
Illinois No regularly scheduled election One per countyFiling deadline: 3/14

Primary: 6/28
Indiana Every county votesOne per countyFiling deadline: 2/4

Primary: 5/3
Iowa Every county votes No regularly scheduled election Filing deadline: 5/18

Primary: 6/7
Kansas No regularly scheduled election No regularly scheduled election N/A
Kentucky There are special elections in some counties, namely those in the 15th, 28th, 44th, and 45th circuits.One per countyFiling deadline: 1/25

Primary: 5/17
Louisiana No regularly scheduled election No regularly scheduled election N/A
Maine One per district One per county, except Franklin and SagadahocFiling deadline: 3/15

Primary: 6/14
Maryland One per county/cityOne per county/cityFiling deadline: 4/15

Primary: 7/19
Massachusetts One per districtOne per countyFiling deadline: 5/31

Primaries: 9/20
Michigan No regularly scheduled election. Delta County will have a special election. No regularly scheduled election N/A
Minnesota One per countyOne per countyFiling deadline: 5/31

Primary: 8/9
Mississippi No regularly scheduled election No regularly scheduled election N/A
Missouri One per county. (Some jurisdictions, like the city of St. Louis and Jackson County, vote on the presidential cycle.)St. Charles CountyFiling deadline: 3/29

Primary: 8/2
Montana One per county (except Anaconda-Deer Lodge, Butte-Silver Bow, Carter, Petroleum)One per county (except Anaconda-Deer Lodge, Butte-Silver Bow)Filing deadline: 3/14

Primary: 6/7
Nebraska One per countyOne per countyFiling deadline: 2/15

Primary: 5/10
Nevada One per county/cityOne per county/cityFiling deadline: 3/18

Primary: 6/14
New Hampshire One per countyOne per countyFiling deadline: 6/10

Primary: 9/13
New Jersey Not electedCounties that have regularly-scheduled elections: Burlington, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, WarrenFiling deadline: 4/4

Primary: 6/7
New Mexico No regularly scheduled electionOne per county (except Lincoln)Filing deadline: 2/1

Primary: 6/7
New York Counties with regularly scheduled elections: Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, WyomingCounties with regularly scheduled elections: Allegany, Broome, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Clinton, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Montgomery, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Orange, Oswego, Otsego, Tompkins, UlsterFiling deadline: 4/7

Primary: 6/28
North Carolina All judicial districts have a regularly-scheduled election (except those that contain Harnett, Lee, Hoke, Moore, Alexander, Iredell, and Randolph counties, namely the 12th, 29th, 32th, and 37th)One per countyFiling deadline: 3/4

Primary: 5/17 & 7/26
North Dakota One per county (except Golden Valley, Steele)One per countyFiling deadline: 4/11

Primary: 6/14
Ohio No regularly scheduled election No regularly scheduled election N/A
Oklahoma One per judicial districtNo regularly scheduled election Filing deadline: 4/15

Primaries: 6/28 & 8/23
Oregon Counties with regularly-scheduled elections: Clastop, Columbia, Crook, Deschutes, Gilliam, Grant, Klamath, Malheur, Marion, Morrow, Sherman, Tilliamook, Union, Wallowa, WashingtonCounties with regularly-scheduled elections: Benton, Coos, Crook, Gilliam, Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Linn, Multnomah, Polk, Wasco, YamhillFiling deadline: 3/8

Primaries: 5/17
Pennsylvania No regularly scheduled electionNo regularly scheduled election N/A
Rhode Island Not electedNot electedN/A
South Carolina 6 circuits have regularly scheduled elections:
—3rd (Clarendon, Lee, Sumter, Williamsburg)
—5th (Kershaw, Richland)
—6th (Chester, Fairfield, Lancaster)
—12th (Florence, Marion)
—13th (Greenville, Pickens)
—15th (Georgetown, Horry) 		7 regularly scheduled elections: Berkeley, Beaufort, Allendale, Chesterfield, Cherokee, Hampton, KershawFiling deadline: 3/30

Primaries: 6/14 & 6/28
South Dakota No regularly scheduled election One per countyFiling deadline: 3/29

Primaries: 6/7 & 8/16
Tennessee One per countyOne per countyFiling deadline: 4/7

Primary: 8/4
Texas Counties of more than 250,000 residents: Bexar, Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Fort Bend, Galveston, Hays, Hidalgo, Jefferson, Lubbock, McLennan, Smith, Tarrant

Other: Anderson, Austin, Bastrop, Bowie, Caldwell, Calhoun, Cass, Comal, Deaf Smith, Eastland, Edwards, Kimble, Gregg, Harrison, Jack, Jackson, Jasper, Kaufman, Kendall, Madison, Mason, McCulloch, Menard, Navarro, Newton, Panola, Polk, Randall, Rockwall, San Jacinto, Taylor, Tyler, Upshur, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Wichita, Wise, Wood, Yoakum		Counties with special elections: Eastland; Fisher; Gonzalez; Panola, Parker.Filing deadline: 12/13 (2021)

Primaries: 3/1 & 5/24
Utah One per countyOne per countyFiling deadline: 3/4

Primary: 6/28
Vermont One per countyOne per countyFiling deadline: 5/26

Primary: 8/9
Virginia No regularly-scheduled election.

Powhatan and Cumberland counties are having special elections. 		No regularly-scheduled election N/A
Washington One per countyOne per county (except Pierce, Snohomish, Whatcom, which voted in 2020 or 2021, and King County)Filing deadline: 5/20

Primary: 8/2
West Virginia No regularly-scheduled election No regularly-scheduled election N/A
WisconsinNo regularly-scheduled electionOne per county Filing deadline: 6/1

Primary: 8/9
Wyoming One per countyOne per countyFiling deadline: 5/12

Primary: 5/27