Autauga County sheriff race pits Harrell against three challengers

The race for Autauga County sheriff has turned into an early test of who will control patrol priorities, jail operations, courtroom security and the budget that supports all three. Incumbent Mark B. Harrell is facing Nicholas Cognasi, Kevin McNatt and Ty Thompson in the Republican primary on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.

Harrell entered the office in January 2023 after Gov. Kay Ivey appointed him to complete the term of Joe Sedinger, who died in December 2022. Since then, the sheriff’s office has been at the center of a broader fight over public safety and county spending, including Harrell’s lawsuit against the Autauga County Commission over jail conditions, courtroom security and funding concerns. A judge dismissed that case in February 2026, leaving voters to sort through not just crime-fighting claims but also questions about how the office is managed.

McNatt is making a case for a more visible and proactive sheriff’s office. He says he has more than 20 years of Alabama law-enforcement experience and began in 2001 with the Autaugaville Police Department. He later became the first full-time school resource officer at Autaugaville School, then moved on to the Alabama Department of Corrections’ Law Enforcement Services Division and a federal task force with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. His campaign has emphasized proactive policing, transparency, fiscal responsibility, stronger cooperation with public-safety partners and more deputies in the community.

Thompson is running on operational efficiency and public trust. He began his law-enforcement career in November 2008 with the Prattville Police Department and says his work has included patrol, training, criminal investigations and years in drug enforcement, including six years as a Drug Enforcement Administration task force officer. Thompson has highlighted experience that includes special operations, training and grant funding, and he says the office needs clearer communication and renewed confidence from residents.

Cognasi’s campaign leans heavily on roots in the county and on deputy training. He says Autauga County has been his home since 1996, that he grew up in Pine Level and that he graduated from Prattville High School in 2005. His platform includes annual training and EMT certification for deputies, a message that fits with the sheriff’s office’s recent announcement that it received grant funding through the Alabama Sheriffs Association using opioid-settlement money for equipment such as AEDs and trauma kits.

The sheriff’s race is already on the Republican primary ballot, with sample ballots posted by the Alabama Secretary of State and the Autauga County election office. With the jail, patrol coverage and emergency readiness all under discussion, the outcome in May could set the tone for county public safety well beyond Election Day.