Mobile County Sheriff
My vote power
Above average
Election date
November 3, 2026 · General election
The Mobile County Sheriff general election in Mobile County, Alabama is on November 3, 2026. 2 candidates are running: Pamela J. Laffitte (Democratic) and Paul Burch (Republican). Paul Burch is the incumbent. One vote here carries above average weight compared with other races.
How do we calculate my vote power?
What determines the vote power rating: Representation: how much weight one vote carries here compared with a statewide vote — the smaller the district, the more each vote counts. Decisiveness: how likely this race is to be close, based on past results or current analyst ratings, plus whether more candidates are running than there are seats.
Representation: Above average · 61 out of 100
This district is a good deal smaller than its state, so each vote here carries more weight than a vote in a statewide race. About 412,590 people live here.
Show the representation math
score = 50 + 50 × ln(state population ÷ this district's) ÷ ln(50,000) = 50 + 50 × ln(5,086,768 ÷ 412,590) ÷ ln(50,000) = 61.61, measured against a statewide vote in AL (grades: 66+ high, 55+ above average, 33+ average, otherwise low; a statewide race is the 50 baseline)
Decisiveness: Unknown
No analyst ratings or past results for this contest yet.
Above average representation → My vote power: Above average.
Some data is missing, so this rating is based on partial information.
What does this office do?
- Running police patrols and deputies in the county
- Running the county jail
- Carrying out evictions, warrants, and other court orders
Affects: Immigration, Public Safety and Crime Control, Gun Control,
Who is running?
Democratic
Pamela J. Laffitte is a substitute teacher who retired as a Mobile County Sheriff's Office corrections sergeant after 26 years and served 14 years in the Air Force Reserve. Her priorities are transparency and accountability, and cutting crime at its roots.
Records: Civil Rights 1 for
Republican · Incumbent
Paul Burch has been Mobile County Sheriff since January 2023 after rising from patrol deputy to chief deputy, and is a Navy veteran and FBI National Academy graduate. His priorities are targeting violent crime and gangs, and adding school resource deputies to every middle and high school.
Records: Public Safety and Crime Control 8 for
Sources: probate.mobilecountyal.gov2
Last updated September 24, 2026.