Your guide to 2026 school board elections in Marion County
This article was co-published by Chalkbeat Indiana, Mirror Indy and WFYI as part of a collaboration ahead of the 2026 school board elections. This November, 56 candidates are on ballots across Marion County for 31 seats on 10 district…
The 2026 school board elections in Marion County, Indiana, will see 56 candidates contesting 31 seats across 10 district school boards. For the first time, candidates can choose to include a party affiliation on their ballots, with 21 Democrats, eight Republicans, seven Independents, and 20 candidates opting not to select a party.
School board members are responsible for setting policies, approving budgets, and hiring superintendents. In Marion County, the number of members per school board varies, and election methods differ, with some districts electing at-large members and others using specific area representation. The Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) district has the highest number of candidates, with 15 running for five seats.
Most school board members up for election are incumbents, with six districts having all eligible incumbents running for re-election. Voter registration for the elections closes on Oct. 5, and early voting starts on Oct. 6 at the Indianapolis City-County Building. On Election Day, Nov. 3, Marion County residents can vote at any of the county’s voting centers, with polls open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Written by urgent.news from Chalkbeat's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
