County Sheriff
Hennepin County, Minnesota
My vote power
Above average
Election date
November 3, 2026 · General election
How do we calculate my vote power?
What goes into the 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 the number of candidates.
Representation: Above average · 56 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 1,269,496 people live here.
Show the representation math
score = 50 + 50 × ln(state population ÷ this district's) ÷ ln(50,000) = 50 + 50 × ln(5,739,445 ÷ 1,269,496) ÷ ln(50,000) = 56.97, measured against a statewide vote in MN (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.
About this office
- 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,
Candidates
Nonpartisan · Incumbent · declared
Dawanna S. Witt is the elected Hennepin County Sheriff. She was elected in 2022 and sworn in on January 3, 2023; the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office describes her as the first woman and person of color to hold the office.
Records: Gun Control 1 for, Public Safety and Crime Control 1 for
Nonpartisan · declared
Joseph Banks is a candidate for Hennepin County Sheriff. His campaign biography describes more than 20 years in law enforcement, including service as police chief for the Upper Sioux Police Department and Morton, Minnesota.
Sources: hennepincounty.gov · candidates.sos.mn.gov