Orange County Sheriff
November 3, 2026 · Orange County, New York · County · general
How do we calculate vote impact?
Vote impact = representation (how much weight one vote carries here, the smaller the district's population, the higher the representation) + decisiveness (how likely this race is to be close, based on past results and number of candidates).
Representation: Low · 29 out of 100
This district is large for its type, so each vote is a smaller slice of the outcome. About 406,616 people live here.
score = 100 × ln(largest population ÷ this district's) ÷ ln(largest ÷ smallest), rounded to 2 decimals = 100 × ln(2,631,580 ÷ 406,616) ÷ ln(2,631,580 ÷ 5,089) = 29.89, comparing counties in NY (grades: 66+ high, 33+ average, otherwise low)
Decisiveness: Unknown
No past results for this contest yet.
Low representation + unknown decisiveness → Below average vote impact.
Some data is missing, so this rating is based on partial information and capped at "High".
Sheriff is responsible for:
- Running the county's law-enforcement department, including deputies and patrols
- Running the county jail
- Serving court orders, such as evictions and warrants
- Providing courthouse security in many counties
Affected Areas: Immigration, Public Safety and Crime Control, Gun Control, Data Privacy, Civil Rights
Candidates
Bernie Rivers
Democratic · declared
Bernie Rivers is a candidate for Orange County Sheriff. New York's Department of Environmental Conservation appointed him Director of the Division of Law Enforcement in 2018 after he had served as acting director and in multiple environmental-conservation law-enforcement roles.
Paul Arteta
Republican · Incumbent · declared
Paul Arteta is the Orange County Sheriff. The county sheriff's office states that he has served Orange County residents since 1992 and was promoted to captain in 2017 after assignments in patrol, investigations, and narcotics enforcement.
Records: Public Safety and Crime Control 1 for
Election sources
Source: orangecountygov.com