The mayor of the town is Dr. Johannes-Werner Lange.

Effelder belongs to the administrative community of Obereichsfeld. Effelder was first mentioned in a document around 1215 as "Effeldere". Sights include the church of St. Alban ("Eichsfelder Dom"), built in 1892, the chapel of St. Vitus in the north and the Wetterkreuz, lined with a group of lime trees, on the northeastern edge of the village.