Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Over the years, I've covered a few elections – probably more than I'd like to remember. Back in the day, we didn't get the wall-to-wall commercials slinging mud or the daily update on what the polls say. But one thing hasn't changed – elections are maybe the most observed, double checked and overseen functions of government. Vote counting machines are double- and triple-checked. Each political party employs "poll watchers" to make sure there's no hanky panky and the boards that count and rec...
On Oct. 16, United States Attorney Susan T. Lehr announced that Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher Ferretti and Shereece Dendy-Sanders will lead the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska, in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming Nov. 5, General Election. Ferretti and Dendy-Sanders have been appointed to serve as the District Election Officers for the District of Nebraska, and in that capacity, are responsible for overseeing the district’s handling of el...
Nebraskans are reminded to check the mail this week if they regularly vote early in Nebraska elections and filed a standing request with their county election commissioner to do so again. Election commissioners in Douglas, Lancaster and many other Nebraska counties recently mailed ballot request cards to people on their regular early voter lists. Douglas County has mailed out 160,000 cards. Lancaster County mailed out 64,000 of its blue postcards Friday. People can return the early voting...
GENERAL ELECTION NOTICE & OFFICES TO BE FILLED BY ELECTION AND FILING DEADLINES I, Lisa Payne, Antelope County Clerk/Election Commissioner, hereby give notice of the offices to be filled by election that will appear on the 2024 General Election Ballot to be held Nov. 5, 2024, in Antelope County, Nebraska, as per State Statute 32-601. Notice is also given that the filing deadline for such offices are: July 15, 2024, for incumbents and Aug. 1, 2024, for non-incumbents. An incumbent is anyone serving in an elective office, even if they are filing...
Antelope County’s primary election resulted in only 1,080 ballots being cast. The structure of the party-line election, and lack of multiple candidates in many of the races, may have led to the low turnout. Only one county race took place, which was for the District 4 commissioner seat. Incumbent Charlie Henery advances to the general election after receiving 123 votes. Challenger Harlan Brandt, a former Antelope County supervisor, ended the night with 58 votes. President Joe Biden received 54 v...
There is a lot of information floating around on social media about the integrity of elections. Since the May 14 primary election is around the corner, I wanted to share more insight into election procedures in Holt County. Holt County, like every other county in Nebraska, operates its own elections. Our duties include handling our county’s voter registration list, operating precincts on Election Day, operating and testing election equipment and completing other election-related requirements. Our office, including the permanent and temporary e...
NOTICE OF MEETINGS COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ANTELOPE COUNTY, NEBRASKA, FOR THE MONTH OF MAY 2024 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the county board of commissioners of Antelope County, Nebraska, will hold meetings in the county commissioners’ meeting room in the Antelope County Courthouse Annex, Neligh, Nebraska, on the following dates and times: May 7, 2024 at 9 a.m. May 13, 2024 at 8 a.m. (Monday due to the Primary Election, Tuesday, May 14) Meetings will be open to the public. An agenda, kept continuously current, is available for public i...
With the approach of the 2024 primary election, more and more political campaign signs are appearing in front lawns and roadside locations with each passing day. The Nebraska Department of Transportation issued a recent release to remind the public that it is unlawful to place political campaign signs, or any signs, on state highway and interstate right-of-way. This includes intersections, medians, entrance and exit ramps, sidewalks, and the ditches and lands that make up the right-of-way...
There are a lot of ins and outs in party politics during an election year. Who's in the race and who's out? All eyes have been on the Legislature where the big surprise came from Republican Julie Slama – rhymes with drama – announced she wouldn't seek a second term representing southeast Nebraska's District One because she was going to take her recently earned law degree another direction. But before the appointee of then Governor Pete Ricketts could relish the attention one more time, the ven...
Nebraska’s new voter identification law, which takes effect in the May 14 statewide primary, requires Nebraska voters to present a photo ID before voting. In an effort to ensure all Nebraskans are prepared, the Nebraska Secretary of State’s office is mailing letters to voters who may not have an acceptable form of photo ID to vote. About 97% of registered voters in Nebraska already have a driver’s license or state ID, according to information from county election offices and the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles. The letters are a proac...
Antelope County PRIMARY ELECTION NOTICE & OFFICES TO BE FILLED BY ELECTION AND FILING DEADLINES I, Lisa Payne, Antelope County Clerk/Election Commissioner, hereby give notice of the offices to be filled by election that will appear on the 2024 Primary Election Ballot to be held May 14, 2024, in Antelope County, Nebraska, as per State Statute 32-601. Notice is also given that the filing deadline for such offices are: Feb. 15, 2024, for incumbents and March 1, 2024, for non-incumbents. An incumbent is anyone serving in an elective office, even...
Election season is officially underway in Nebraska. Individuals who plan to run for state or federal office in the May 14 primary were able to file beginning Jan. 5. Incumbent candidates will have until Feb. 15 to file. This includes any individual currently holding office, including those who currently hold an elected position and are running for a different office. Non-incumbents must file by March 1. Any candidate who does not meet the filing deadline will not appear on the primary ballot. A...
A Nebraska family has plowed more than $1.6 million into the Lincoln mayor's race, an unprecedented sum and latest burst in a multi-year deluge that, at the federal level, rivals the political spending by a famed Las Vegas casino magnate and a Silicon Valley titan. It's not the Nebraska family you think. It's the Peed family and its business, Sandhills Global – not the Ricketts family – that have eclipsed all other donors while trying to help former State Sen. Suzanne Geist, a Republican, ous...
Two years after Donald Trump won the 2016 president election, four Nebraska women joined to form a progressive political group in the state dedicated to holding lawmakers like those in the Nebraska Legislature accountable. "Something physically in my body had changed and I was compelled that I was never going to feel that way again," co-founder Christi Bradley said of the 2016 election. "I was never going to feel like I hadn't done enough to prevent something terrible from happening." The...
Three proposals to cover the solution looking for a problem -- voter ID -- have proven to be about as confusing as the proponent’s explanation as to why the idea was necessary. After a lot of listening and a bunch of head scratching, I’m still not convinced. The only thing I know for sure, in Sen. Steve Erdman’s world there would be no mail-in ballots. Tell that to the 11 Nebraska counties that hold mail-only elections right now. Better yet, convince my 85-year -old neighbors that it’s a good idea. I’ve been voting by mail since Covid and...
There’s been a lot of talk about preserving the officially nonpartisan nature of the Nebraska Legislature. But there is another issue, occasionally discussed with similar zeal in years past, that’s creeping up again. (Gasp!) It’s the urban-rural split. While the focus has been on party loyalty – there are 32 Republicans and 17 Democrats in the officially nonpartisan Legislature – there are also 26 “urban” lawmakers (18 from Omaha and 8 from Lincoln) to just 23 “rural” senators. That reflects the shift of two rural districts, 49 and 36) to the O...
Here we are sandwiched between Christmas and New Year. Time to take stock of what we've been through as it impacts what lies ahead. In case you were somehow fortunate enough to sleep through it, 2022 was an election year. A couple really rich guys and some others ran for the Republican nomination for governor to replace term-limited Deep Pockets Pete Ricketts who still managed to throw enough money around to have an influence. Before you get all upset by that, remember that I have said before it isn’t illegal to spend his own money or the f...
Voter integrity was yet again a topic of discussion when Antelope County Commissioners met, Sept. 6, in Neligh. Chairman Charlie Henry opened the floor to Sheryl Baker, who yielded her time to Mike Seier, who spoke about materials presented by Antelope County Patriots at the previous board meeting. Commissioner Regina Krebs questioned information that had the official tally with a "true" number, and she was interested where that number came from. According to Connie Baker, the information came...
Antelope County will continue to provide an opportunity for in-person voting at countywide precincts and offer mail-in ballots as an option, following a vote of Antelope County Commissioners, Tuesday morning. The motion, made by Dean Smith, and seconded by Carolyn Pederson, followed nearly 45 minutes of discussion with Antelope County residents regarding election integrity. Antelope County Patriots member Sheryl Baker told commissioners while she and other group members have "total confidence"...
Voter turnout in the May 10 primary election was more than 40% in Holt and Antelope counties. Summerland Board of Education A summary report from Antelope County Clerk Lisa Payne shows 49.68% of voters cast ballots in Royal; 46.63% voted in Clearwater and 46.39% made their way to the polls in Orchard. Holt County Clerk Cathy Pavel confirmed 41% of registered voters visited the polls. Summerland Board of Education Three seats are up for election for the Summerland School Board of Education. Six...
Is it good or bad that between 40 and 50% of voters turned out for the May primary election? While the number seems above average for a mid-term election, it’s still concerning that more than half of our state’s residents did not vote. When you consider options voters have to check the box before or on election day, whether via an early-voting ballot or at the poll, the number is disheartening. According to the Nebraska Secretary of State’s office, 396,000 Nebraskans voted. Overall, that...
Update: 11:05 p.m.: Jim Pillen has won the Republican primary in the Nebraska governor's race. With 810 precincts reporting, Pillen received 72,197 votes. All election results are unofficial until verified by a county's canvassing board. 8:15 p.m. Nebraska polls closed at 8 p.m., May 10, and early results from across the state show Brett Lindstrom leading Jim Pillen, in the Republican race for Governor. Lindstrom currently has 20,987 votes, or 41%, while Pillen has received 29.1% - or 14,885 - o...
NOTICE OF MEETINGS COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, ANTELOPE COUNTY, NEBRASKA, FOR THE MONTH OF MAY 2022 Notice is hereby given that the county board of commissioners of Antelope County, Nebraska, will hold meetings in the county commissioners’ meeting room in the Antelope County Courthouse annex, Neligh, Nebraska, on the following dates and times: May 3, 2022 at 9 a.m. May 9, 2022 at 8 a.m. (10th is Primary Election Day) Meetings will be open to the public. An agenda, kept continuously current, is available for public inspection at the A...
PRIMARY ELECTION NOTICE AND OFFICES TO BE FILLED BY ELECTION AND FILING DEADLINES I, Lisa Payne, Antelope County Clerk/Election Commissioner, hereby give notice of the offices to be filled by election that will appear on the 2022 Primary Election Ballot to be held May 10th, 2022, in Antelope County, Nebraska, as per State Statute 32-601. Notice is also given that the filing deadline for such offices are: Feb. 15, 2022, for incumbents and March 1, 2022 for non-incumbents. An incumbent is anyone serving in an elective office, even if they are...
Nebraska State Senator Tim Gragert announced Sunday, he will not be seeking a second term in the Legislature in 2022. Gragert was elected to the Legislature in 2018. After winning the Primary Election in a crowded field of six candidates, Gragert went on to win the General Election and has represented Legislative District 40 since being sworn into office in January 2019. In announcing his intentions, Gragert said, "Serving the constituents of District 40 has been a great honor. I want to thank...
