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Elections Simplified

Sheriff

Dane County, Wisconsin

My vote power

Above average

Election date

August 11, 2026 · Primary 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 · 60 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 572,674 people live here.

Show the representation math

score = 50 + 50 × ln(state population ÷ this district's) ÷ ln(50,000) = 50 + 50 × ln(5,914,872 ÷ 572,674) ÷ ln(50,000) = 60.79, measured against a statewide vote in WI (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

Jack W. Ordman

Did not advance

Democratic · lost

Jack W. Ordman is a Madison software developer and civilian candidate for Dane County Sheriff. He entered the 2026 race after the April 18 Ridglan Farms protest and states that he has no prior political experience or law-enforcement background.

Kalvin D. Barrett

Advanced

Democratic · Incumbent · advanced

Kalvin D. Barrett is the 53rd Sheriff of Dane County, appointed in 2021 and elected in 2022 as the county's first Black sheriff. He previously worked as a Dane County deputy, police officer, educator, and criminal-justice professor and holds degrees in sociology and criminal justice.

Results

Sources: elections.danecounty.gov2