Kate Sweeney Bell

Kate Sweeney Bell

Democratic Party

Candidate, Marion County Clerk

Marion County Clerk

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2026

Years in position

3

Predecessor: Myla A. Eldridge (D)

Prior offices:

Marion County Recorder

Years in office: 2015 - 2023

Successor: Faith James Kimbrough (D)

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Next election

May 5, 2026

Education

Bachelor's

Indiana University, 2000

Personal

Birthplace

Indianapolis, IN

Profession

Marion County recorder

Contact

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Kate Sweeney Bell (Democratic Party) is the Marion County Clerk in Indiana. She assumed office on January 1, 2023. Her current term ends on December 31, 2026.

Bell (Democratic Party) is running for re-election for Marion County Clerk in Indiana. She is on the ballot in the Democratic primary on May 5, 2026.^[source]

Biography

Kate Sweeney Bell was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. She earned a bachelor's degree from Indiana University in 2000. Bell's career experience includes working as the Marion County recorder. She has been affiliated with the Marion County Democrats, Women in Motion, Coalition for Homelessness Intervention & Prevention, Indiana Stonewall Democrats, and the City Market Board.

Elections

2026

See also: City elections in Indianapolis, Indiana (2026)

General election

The primary will occur on May 5, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Marion County Clerk

Incumbent Kate Sweeney Bell (D), Bob Kern (D), and Karla Lopez Owens (D) are running in the Democratic primary for Marion County Clerk on May 5, 2026.

		Candidate
		Kate Sweeney Bell
		Bob Kern
		Karla Lopez Owens

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Marion County Clerk

Robbin Stewart (R) is running in the Republican primary for Marion County Clerk on May 5, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Robbin Stewart

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2022

See also: City elections in Indianapolis, Indiana (2022)

General election

General election for Marion County Clerk

Kate Sweeney Bell defeated Andrew Harrison in the general election for Marion County Clerk on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kate Sweeney Bell (D)	62.3	137,917
		Andrew Harrison (R)	37.7	83,514

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 221,431
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Marion County Clerk

Kate Sweeney Bell defeated Billie Breaux in the Democratic primary for Marion County Clerk on May 3, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kate Sweeney Bell	55.7	24,084
	Submit photo	Billie Breaux	44.3	19,193

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 43,277
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Marion County Clerk

Andrew Harrison advanced from the Republican primary for Marion County Clerk on May 3, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Andrew Harrison	100.0	21,988

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 21,988
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

See also: Municipal elections in Marion County, Indiana (2018)

General election

General election for Marion County Recorder

Incumbent Kate Sweeney Bell defeated Paul Annee in the general election for Marion County Recorder on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kate Sweeney Bell (D)	64.8	195,209
	Submit photo	Paul Annee (R)	35.2	105,819

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 301,028 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Marion County Recorder

Incumbent Kate Sweeney Bell advanced from the Democratic primary for Marion County Recorder on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kate Sweeney Bell	100.0	51,785

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 51,785
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Marion County Recorder

Paul Annee advanced from the Republican primary for Marion County Recorder on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Paul Annee	100.0	31,179

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 31,179
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Kate Sweeney Bell has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. If you are Kate Sweeney Bell, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

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2022

Kate Sweeney Bell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Bell's responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

A public official determined to fight for equal access to the ballot for every voter, regardless of age, race or different ability.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Protect voting rights
• Keep the front door of government open to all residents
• Be responsive to the community

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Protecting voting rights and ensuring fair elections.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

The Marion County Clerk's Office is often the front door of government for residents. Whether you're trying to find a public record, navigate the court system, obtain a marriage license, or vote, the Clerk's Office is where you go to get it done.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am a proven leader who believes in putting the needs of residents first.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I babysat for a neighborhood family for many years.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. It's about bringing people together.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

I think it helps but I don't think it's necessary.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2026 Elections

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Myla A. Eldridge (D)	Marion County Clerk 2023-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	Marion County Recorder 2015-2023	Succeeded by Faith James Kimbrough (D)