Autauga County voters face crowded sheriff, judge primaries in 2026

Autauga County voters are about to decide who will control the county jail, shape local policing priorities and help move cases through a newly created circuit judgeship, all in a Republican primary that is likely to settle the most consequential races on the ballot.

The sheriff’s contest has drawn four Republicans: incumbent Mark Harrell, Nicholas Cognasi, Kevin McNatt and Ty Thompson. In a county with more than 44,000 registered voters and a heavy Republican tilt, the May 19 primary is effectively the main election for sheriff, because only voters casting a Republican ballot can take part. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and a runoff would follow on June 16 if no candidate wins outright.

Harrell enters the race under the shadow of the county jail fight that defined much of his last term. He sued the Autauga County Commission in 2025 over mold, staffing and other health-and-safety problems at the Autauga County Jail, saying the county had not funded needed repairs and staffing. A judge dismissed that lawsuit in February 2026. Harrell qualified for reelection on January 29, 2026, and the outcome will tell voters whether they want to keep his approach to jail management and pressure on the commission, or turn to one of the three challengers.

McNatt is the best-documented challenger in the field. He says he has more than 20 years in Alabama law enforcement and began in 2001 with the Autaugaville Police Department, where he became the first full-time school resource officer at Autaugaville School. Little public information was available for Cognasi and Thompson, which makes the race notable not just for its size but for how much of the public record is centered on Harrell’s tenure.

Voters will also choose the Republican nominee for Circuit Court Judge, 19th Judicial Circuit, Place 5, a seat created by Senate Bill 39. The new judgeship covers Autauga, Chilton and Elmore counties and will hear civil controversies over $20,000, domestic relations cases, felonies and capital felonies, equity matters and appeals from municipal and district courts. In practice, that means the winner will help shape how quickly cases move, how crowded the docket becomes and how the court handles the most serious criminal matters coming out of the county jail.

Three Republicans are running for that seat: Carol Cook Carter, Bradley Earl Ekdahl and Ali Patterson. Carter says she has more than 25 years of legal experience and was admitted to the Alabama State Bar in 2001, with work that has included guardian ad litem service, juvenile court contract work and private practice in Prattville. Ekdahl says he has worked in the legal field for about 20 years, including as a senior assistant district attorney, Prattville municipal prosecutor, municipal judge in Millbrook and special probate judge for Autauga County. For Autauga County voters, these races are not ceremonial. They will determine who runs the jail and who presides over the cases that move through it.