NEBRASKA
Could Nebraska's 2nd district swing a presidential election? It's worth watching.
C-
Election Integrity Grade
Bob Evnen (R)
Elected - In Office Since 2019
Population: 1,934,408
Budget Allocation For Elections: $4,331,920
Per Capita Investment In Elections: $2.24
In Nebraska, elections are overseen by the Secretary of State, a directly elected state officer who serves a four-year term. The current Secretary of State is Republican Bob Evnen; Evnen defeated Spencer Danner (D) in 2018 to win his first term in office. Evnen will be up for re-election in 2022.
Evnen has unfortunately failed to reject the claims that mail-in voter fraud is rampant, even after Nebraska shattered turnout records by relying heavily on mail-in voting in May's seamless state primary election.
While Nebraska has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1964, it is one of two states that divides its electoral votes based on congressional districts. This means Nebraska's 2nd district represents a single swing electoral vote - and could be crucial in November.
Statements on Voter Fraud
COVID-19 Preparedness
Support for Vote By Mail
Secretary of State Bob Evnen has had several opportunities to set the record straight on reckless claims of voter fraud - but in every case he has failed to do so, and has even supported the idea that mail-in ballots are untrustworthy. (F)
Nebraska has received and distributed CARES Act funding to county election offices - but Governor Pete Ricketts has actually threatened to withhold COVID relief funds from counties that are enforcing mask requirements. (D-)
All registered voters in Nebraska will receive an application for a mail-in ballot, and the state is providing ballot drop boxes as a return option. 80% of Nebraskans voted by mail in the March primary, and that election was considered a success. (B)
Cyber Security
Nebraska uses a system of paper ballots and does adhere to minimum best practices for cybersecurity. However, the state does not require post-election audits - it relies on discretionary audits that are only carried out after certification. (C)
State Politics
Nebraska is considered a deep red state, with Republican control of the governorship, legislature, and Secretary of State's office. The 2nd district is fully in the toss-up category, however, and 21% of voters are registered as non-partisans. (C+)
State History
There have not been any notable incidents of election irregularities in Nebraska in recent years. The state was one of the first in the nation to pass a law allowing felons to regain voting rights; but it has also pushed for strict voter ID laws. (B-)
KEY PUBLIC STATEMENTS
John Cartier
Director, Civic Nebraska
As our state’s successful primary showed, voting by mail is safe, convenient and secure, and it gives voters time to carefully consider their ballots.
Bob Evnen
Secretary of State
There are all kinds of things that are problematic related to mail-in ballots; one is whether the person that mails in the ballot back is actually the voter.
Pete Ricketts
Governor
Here, in Nebraska, our secretary of state works very hard to protect the integrity of our election system. I'm very confident in our system.