Four candidates vie for Indiana Secretary of State in 2026 race

Debate access and candidate platforms

Only two candidates for the Secretary of State office received invitations to a televised debate. Republican nominee Max Engling is one of the candidates in the race.

Engling advocates for closed primaries, citizen-only voting, and business fraud oversight. He also supports reducing government overreach and creating a direct channel for citizens to report election issues.

His platform includes slashing regulations on small businesses.

Business portal and election reform proposals

Challenger candidates have criticized the online business licensing portal managed by the office. Shillings said the portal should serve as a window to the world for the state to advertise how well it does business.

Regarding election reform, Ballard proposed abolishing the election recount commission. Ballard said the commission currently fails to address discrepancies because two Republican and two Democratic appointees refuse to meet.

He suggested assigning the commission’s function to retired administrative law judges to prevent partisan disputes. These issues arise in a state where Donald Trump received 11 electoral votes with a margin of +19.0 R.

Lincoln Party ballot access challenges

Greg Ballard is the Lincoln Party candidate for Secretary of State. To secure a spot on the ballot, Ballard needed to collect 36,943 petition signatures from registered voters, an amount equal to 2 percent of the votes cast for the office in 2022.

The campaign spent more than $700,000 to raise these signatures by hiring professional firms. During the process, a firm employee submitted 10 fraudulent signatures in Hamilton County and was dismissed immediately.

Ballard ultimately gathered 40,361 signatures. Ballard will appear as the Lincoln Party candidate for Secretary of State on the general-election ballot on Nov. 3. 3, where his party must receive at least 2 percent of the vote to maintain automatic ballot access for the next four years.

Minor party ballot access requirements

All minor parties in Indiana must attain 2 percent of the vote in the Secretary of State race during each general election to keep automatic ballot access for four years. These parties must also hold nominating conventions to select their candidates.

Libertarian candidate Schillings has set a goal of capturing at least 10 percent of the vote to secure primary election access for the Libertarian Party. Regarding concerns over third-party spoiler effects, Schillings said, "The only wasted vote is one that you don't believe in.".

Indiana has 9 Congressional Districts that are up for election every two years.

Criticisms of current office spending

Current Republican Secretary of State Diego Morales has faced controversies regarding office spending, hiring, and travel. The campaign for Beau Bayh prepared to highlight these issues during the election.

Ballard critiques the two-party system

Greg Ballard said the Secretary of State office should remain independent of politics. He pledged that he will not endorse, donate to, or fundraise for anyone while in office.

Ballard stated the partisan divide is putting the future of Indiana at risk. After serving as mayor of Indianapolis, he received requests to run for offices including governor, the House, and the Senate, but none felt right.

About a year ago, Nathan Gotsch approached Ballard. Gotsch raised money and conducted polling for a group called Independent Indiana, which concluded that no elections are competitive in November.

Ballard said gerrymandering makes the primary the main election, leaving the November general election of little consequence in most of the state. He said voters need more choices and more people available to run for office.

The Lincoln Party bases its foundation on the principles of the nation’s founding fathers. Ballard said, "We don’t want to create a litmus test for anybody," and noted that partisanship ideology hinders good government.

Voter polling and demographics

Free Press Indiana News released a poll surveying a little over 800 registered voters regarding the race.

In the 2026 election cycle, Indiana is tracking whether early voters participated in the 2022 and 2024 elections, with data broken down by party.

Max Engling's professional background

Max Engling is a Christian and a conservative who is married to Kelcey. He is a father of four and one of eight children.

Engling earned a bachelor’s degree at IUPUI while working in construction. Engling earned a master’s degree in National Defense and Strategic Planning from the U.S. Naval War College.

Engling lives in Cicero, Indiana, where his family attends the church where they were married 15 years ago.

His professional experience includes working for a small business in Indiana and serving on the House Administration Committee during the Tea Party movement. His professional background includes working for a small business in Indiana, serving on the House Administration Committee, working as a senior staff member in House leadership, running for Congress, working at Beck’s Hybrids, and serving on the staff of U.S. Senator Jim Banks.