Editing Allen County, Indiana (section)

==Government==
{{see also|Government of Indiana}}
{{Infobox law enforcement agency
| agencyname        = Allen County Sheriff's Department
| patch             = 
| subdivtype        = County (United States)
| subdivname        = Allen County, Indiana
| divtype           = State
| divname           = Indiana
| country           = United States
| legaljuris        = opsjuris
| police            = yes
| local             = yes
| stations          = 
| lockuptype        = Jail
| lockups           = 
| boats1            = 
| chief1name        = Troy R. Hershberger
| chief1position    = Sheriff
| chief2name        = 
| chief2position    = 
}}

The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by the [[Constitution of Indiana]], and by the [[Indiana Code]].

'''County Council:''' The seven member county council has the ultimate decision-making power regarding fiscal affairs of the county government and controls all the spending and revenue collection in the county. Four representatives are elected from county districts, and three members are elected at large. The council members serve four-year terms. They are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council also has limited authority to impose local taxes, in the form of an income and property tax that is subject to state level approval, excise taxes, and service taxes.<ref name = inc3623>{{cite web|author=Indiana Code|author-link=Indiana Code|url=http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title36/ar2/ch3.html |title=Title 36, Article 2, Section 3|access-date=September 16, 2008|publisher=IN.gov| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081005194234/http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title36/ar2/ch3.html| archive-date= October 5, 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref name = inc2102>{{cite web|author= Indiana Code|author-link= Indiana Code|url= http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title3/ar10/ch2.pdf |title= Title 2, Article 10, Section 2 |access-date=September 16, 2008|publisher=IN.gov| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081029030838/http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title3/ar10/ch2.pdf| archive-date= October 29, 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref>

'''Board of Commissioners:''' The executive and administrative body of the county is made of a three-member board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered terms, and each serves a four-year term. One of the commissioners serves as president of the board. The commissioners are charged with enacting and executing legislation, the collection of revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.<ref name = inc3623/><ref name = inc2102/>

'''Court:''' The county maintains a Circuit Court and a Superior Court.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.in.gov/judiciary/allen |title=Allen County Courts - Indiana |access-date=October 15, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081019023931/http://www.in.gov/judiciary/allen/ |archive-date=October 19, 2008  }}</ref> These are the trial courts of [[general jurisdiction]]. Allen Superior Court hears the vast majority of cases, and has several divisions with multiple courtrooms. There are 9 judges hearing cases on the Allen Superior Court; the Chief Judge of the Allen Superior Court is the Honorable Frances "Fran" C. Gull, first elected as a judge in 1996.

'''County Officials:''' The county has several other elected offices, including [[sheriff]], [[coroner]], [[auditor]], treasurer, [[recorder of deeds|recorder]], [[surveying|surveyor]], and circuit [[court clerk]]. Each of these elected officers serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare a party affiliation and to be residents of the county.<ref name = inc2102/>

The county government operates the [[County jail|jail]], maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, keeps files of deeds and mortgages, maintains [[vital records]], administers [[public health]] regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of welfare and other social services.

Allen County is part of [[Indiana's 3rd congressional district]] and is represented by [[Jim Banks]] in the [[United States Congress]]. It is part of [[Indiana Senate]] districts 14, 15, 16, 17 and 19;<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.in.gov/sos/elections/3006.htm
|title=Indiana Senate Districts
|publisher=State of Indiana
|access-date=January 23, 2011
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110115070750/http://www.in.gov/sos/elections/3006.htm| archive-date= January 15, 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref> and [[Indiana House of Representatives]] districts 50, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84 and 85.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.in.gov/sos/elections/3005.htm
|title=Indiana House Districts
|publisher=State of Indiana
|access-date=January 23, 2011
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110115070752/http://www.in.gov/sos/elections/3005.htm| archive-date= January 15, 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref>

Over the last 100 years, Allen County has been a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. The Democratic national landslides of [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] in 1932 and 1936 as well as [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] in 1964 constitute the only occasions since then that a Republican presidential candidate failed to carry the county, and even in 1964, Johnson only won the county by 1.4% and less than 1,500 votes. As of 2020, [[Joe Biden]] was the highest vote earner for a Democratic candidate in the history of the county with 73,189 votes. [[Donald Trump]] achieved the same feat for his party, with 92,083 votes. 

Although Allen County is rather conservative for an urban county, the presence of Fort Wayne makes the county one of the Democrats' strongest counties in Indiana. In 2008, [[Barack Obama]] became the first Democratic president after Johnson to receive 40% of the county's vote. While he lost the county by 4 points, the closest that a Democrat has come to carrying the county, he won the city of Fort Wayne itself by six points.<ref>{{Cite web|title=2008 Presidential General Election Results - Indiana|url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=2008&off=0&elect=0&fips=18&f=0|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081104121709/http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=2008&fips=18&f=0&off=0&elect=0 |archive-date=November 4, 2008 }}</ref> However, in 2016, [[Donald Trump]] won the county by 19 points and city by 6, but in 2020, while [[Joe Biden]] lost the county by 11 points, he recaptured Fort Wayne.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Bloch|first1=Matthew|last2=Buchanan|first2=Larry|last3=Katz|first3=Josh|last4=Quealy|first4=Kevin|date=July 25, 2018|title=An Extremely Detailed Map of the 2016 Presidential Election|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/upshot/election-2016-voting-precinct-maps.html,%20https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/upshot/election-2016-voting-precinct-maps.html|access-date=April 11, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Park|first1=Alice|last2=Smart|first2=Charlie|last3=Taylor|first3=Rumsey|last4=Watkins|first4=Miles|date=February 2, 2021|title=An Extremely Detailed Map of the 2020 Election|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/upshot/2020-election-map.html|access-date=April 11, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The last Democratic Governor to win the county was [[Frank O'Bannon]] in [[2000 Indiana gubernatorial election|2000]] and the last Senator was [[Evan Bayh]] during his [[2004 United States Senate election in Indiana|2004 landslide]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=2000 Gubernatorial General Election Results - Indiana|url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=2000&fips=18&off=5&elect=0&f=0|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060603002840/http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=2000&fips=18&off=5&elect=0&f=0 |archive-date=June 3, 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=2004 Senatorial General Election Results - Indiana|url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=2004&off=3&class=3&elect=0&fips=18&f=0|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920235245/http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=2004&fips=18&f=0&off=3&elect=0&class=3 |archive-date=September 20, 2012 }}</ref>

Following the 1930 Census, Fort Wayne was drawn into [[Indiana's 4th congressional district]], which essentially became the 3rd district following 2000 Census. Fort Wayne has been represented in House by Republicans for all but 20 years since 1932. The streak was only broken by four Democrats: [[James Indus Farley]] from 1933 to 1939, [[Edward H. Kruse]] for a single term in 1949–1951, [[J. Edward Roush]] from 1971 to 1977 and [[Jill Long Thompson]] from 1989 to 1995.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Voteview {{!}} District View|url=https://voteview.com/district/Fort%20Wayne,%20IN|access-date=April 22, 2021|website=voteview.com}}</ref>
{{PresHead|place=Allen County, Indiana|source=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|first=David|last=Leip|website=uselectionatlas.org|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323225526/https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/|archive-date=March 23, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|90,283|69,960|3,407|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|92,083|73,189|4,288|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|83,930|55,382|9,320|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|84,613|60,036|2,597|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|77,793|71,263|1,491|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|82,013|46,710|886|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|70,426|41,636|2,258|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1996|Republican|59,255|41,450|9,940|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1992|Republican|55,003|39,629|26,945|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|74,638|39,238|1,059|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|75,505|38,462|1,008|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|68,524|37,765|12,609|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1976|Republican|71,321|44,744|1,704|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|76,924|38,621|654|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|59,211|40,411|9,332|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|49,284|50,706|363|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|60,103|39,235|280|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|58,210|25,444|190|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|54,877|27,506|558|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1948|Republican|37,494|31,239|703|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1944|Republican|41,907|30,445|357|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1940|Republican|40,430|29,967|312|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|24,765|39,151|2,230|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|27,065|38,447|1,050|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|34,234|26,292|194|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1924|Republican|25,207|17,244|4,122|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|24,208|13,804|4,165|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1916|Republican|10,169|9,470|2,451|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|3,423|8,659|6,487|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1908|Democratic|9,468|12,145|900|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1904|Republican|10,261|9,250|856|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1900|Democratic|8,250|10,764|295|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1896|Democratic|8,467|9,909|256|Indiana}}
{{PresRow|1892|Democratic|5,486|10,010|625|Indiana}}
{{PresFoot|1888|Democratic|5,455|9,692|257|Indiana}}

===Elected officials===
* '''[[county commission|Board of Commissioners]]'''<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.co.allen.in.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=278&Itemid=357|title= Allen County Government – Commissioners|access-date= May 22, 2008|url-status= live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080722213329/http://www.co.allen.in.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=278&Itemid=357|archive-date= July 22, 2008|df= mdy-all}}</ref>
** Richard E. Beck Jr.
** Therese M. Brown
** F. Nelson Peters
* [[Prosecuting Attorney]], Michael McAlexander
* [[Sheriff]], Troy R. Hershberger
* [[Treasurer|County Treasurer]], William Royce

<small>(information as of January 2024)</small>