Who Does What: The Offices on Your Ballot

Pendleton County, 2026 general election

Most of the names on your ballot are running for offices few people could describe. That's not a failing of voters. Kentucky's county government is old, layered, and mostly invisible until you need it: when you record a deed, contest a property assessment, or lose someone suddenly. This page is a plain guide to what each office on Pendleton County's ballot actually does.

It names no candidates. The point is to know what you're choosing, whoever is on the ballot.

County government

• County Judge/Executive. Despite the title, not a judge. The Judge/Executive is the county's chief executive: they prepare the budget, run county departments, and preside over Fiscal Court, where they also vote. Four-year term.
• Magistrate. Pendleton's four magistrates, one per district, make up Fiscal Court with the Judge/Executive. Fiscal Court is the county's legislature: it passes the budget, sets county tax rates, adopts ordinances, and decides on roads and county property. Magistrates are also called justices of the peace, but Kentucky removed their courtroom role decades ago. Four-year term.
• County Clerk. The county's record-keeper and election administrator: deeds, mortgages, marriage licenses, vehicle titles and registrations, and the running of every election in the county, from voter rolls to ballots. The Clerk also keeps Fiscal Court's records. Four-year term.
• County Attorney. Prosecutes misdemeanors, traffic cases and juvenile matters in district court, handles child support enforcement, and serves as the county government's lawyer. Felonies are prosecuted by a separate office, the Commonwealth's Attorney, which isn't on this year's ballot. Four-year term.
• Sheriff. The county's chief law enforcement officer. In Kentucky, the sheriff also collects property taxes, provides courtroom security, and serves court papers. In Pendleton, the Sheriff's Office also transports prisoners overnight, on weekends, and out of state. Four-year term.
• Jailer. Responsible for people held in county custody. Pendleton County doesn't operate its own jail: adult prisoners are held at the Bourbon County Detention Center in Paris. So here the Jailer's office mostly moves people, handling weekday daytime transports, in-state transports, and every court appearance. Four-year term.
• Coroner. Investigates deaths that are sudden, violent, or unexplained, and determines cause and manner of death. Kentucky doesn't require the coroner to be a physician. Four-year term.
• Property Valuation Administrator (PVA). Assesses the value of property for taxes. The PVA doesn't set tax rates; taxing bodies like Fiscal Court and the school board do that. If you think your assessment is wrong, the PVA's office is where the appeal starts. Four-year term.
• County Surveyor. Handles surveys for the county and can be called on in boundary disputes. In many Kentucky counties the office is small and mostly on call. Four-year term.
• Constable. One per magisterial district. Constables are peace officers who most often serve court papers; how active the office is varies a great deal from county to county. Four-year term.

Courts

Kentucky's judges run without party labels, and their courts serve several counties at once. Pendleton shares its circuit and district with Harrison, Nicholas and Robertson counties.

• Circuit Judge. Hears felonies, larger civil cases, and family matters like divorce and custody. Eight-year term; this year's seat is the rest of an unexpired term.
• District Judge. Hears misdemeanors, traffic cases, small claims, juvenile cases, and probate. Most people who ever see the inside of a courtroom see a district court. Four-year term.
• Circuit Court Clerk. Keeps the records of both the circuit and district courts: filings, fines, bonds, and jury management. Elected by the county but part of the state court system. Six-year term; this year's race, too, fills the rest of an unexpired term.

State and federal

State Representative writes and votes on state law and the state budget in the Kentucky House. Two-year term. State Senator does the same in the Kentucky Senate. Four-year term. U.S. Representative serves in the U.S. House for two years, and U.S. Senator in the U.S. Senate for six.

Schools and cities

• Board of Education. Nonpartisan. The school board hires and evaluates the superintendent, adopts the district's budget, sets the school tax rate, and makes policy for Pendleton County Schools. Four-year term.
• Mayor and City Council. In Butler and Falmouth, the mayor runs the city's day-to-day government and the council passes the city budget and ordinances. Mayors typically serve four-year terms and council members two.

Why this matters

Put the county offices side by side and they cover most of what local government touches: your property taxes, your roads, your records, your elections, your courts, and the investigation of a death in your family. Several of them are on the ballot this year with one name. Knowing what each office does is how you judge the person in it, in November and in the years between.

For which of these races appear on your ballot, see the text version of Pendleton's ballot. For why so many have one name, see One Name, One Box. Everything else is on the Ace the Midterms hub.

Sources

• Constitution of Kentucky: county officers, and the Judicial Article adopted in 1975
• Kentucky Revised Statutes, Chapters 67 (county government), 70 (sheriffs and constables), 71 (jailers), 72 (coroners), and 132 (property valuation administrators)
• Kentucky Court of Justice, descriptions of circuit court, district court, and circuit court clerks
• Kentucky Association of Counties, county officials directory
• Pendleton County Sheriff's Office, Prisoners and Wanted Persons page (checked September 28, 2026)