Municipal Elections 101: Pa. voters will choose sheriffs in 33 counties this November

Municipal Elections 101 from Spotlight PA educates readers about the local positions on their ballots and empowers them to make informed decisions. Sign up for our free newsletters.

Ads for this year's municipal election in Pennsylvania are intensely focused on the state Supreme Court, but voters will also weigh in on a more local role in the legal system: county sheriffs.

Generally, sheriff's offices oversee courtroom safety, jail operations, and certain arrest warrants. On an individual level, each county sheriff has their own set of priorities and can to a certain extent choose where to deploy extra resources.

Unlike the majority of municipal police departments, where a mayor or local governing body chooses a chief, voters have the opportunity to elect the head of most sheriff’s offices. Thirty-three Pennsylvania counties will elect a sheriff on Nov. 4.



https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/09/election-sheriff-pennsylvania-election/