2024 General Election: Important Return Dates
In Nebraska, all completed early mail-in ballots, whether delivered in person or by mail, must arrive at your county election official's office by the close of the polls on Election Day, November 5th (8:00 p.m. CT / 7:00 p.m. MT).
Early mail-in voting (formerly known as absentee voting) is available, and no excuse is required. The last day to request an absentee ballot is the second Friday before the election (unless that date is a state holiday, in which case the deadline is the following Monday). You can return your absentee ballot request form through the mail or in person. Voted ballots must be received by Election Day in order to be counted. You can sign up to track your absentee ballot on your Secretary of State website. Absentee ballots begin being counted on Election Day. Contact your local elections office for more information.
Requesting and Returning an Early-Vote (absentee) Ballot
You can apply for an early voting (formerly known as absentee) ballot by contacting your county clerk in person, by personal agent, by mail or by fax. You can print the early voting application request form from your state's website. To apply for early voting, you should complete the form and then mail or fax it to your county clerk.
You may also send in a hand-written request. You can obtain an early voting ballot by writing to your county clerk or election commissioner with the following information:
NOTE: Beginning April 2024, voters will be required to provide their Nebraska drivers’ license or state ID number when requesting and returning a ballot by mail. Alternatively, voters could include a photocopy of their qualifying ID.
All county election offices will accept early voting applications up to 120 days prior to a statewide election. However, regular early voting ballots are not sent out or voted until 35 days before the election. The last day to request an early voting ballot to be mailed is the second Friday before the election. All early voting ballots whether personally delivered, delivered by agent or delivered by mail or other carriers must arrive by the closing of the polls on Election Day: 8:00 pm central time and 7:00 pm mountain time.
Those who requested an absentee ballot but end up voting in person:
You may only do so by a provisional ballot. Do not mail a ballot and vote in person. For specifics, you can find your local county clerk contact info here.
Overseas citizens and U.S. military personnel can find information on how to register to vote and request an absentee ballot at the Overseas Vote Foundation.
Request your BallotNebraska does not have a statewide absentee/mail ballot curing process. If you did not provide a valid photo ID or reasonable impediment certificate at the time of voting, you have until November 12, 2024, to present one to your election commissioner or county clerk. We recommend that you track the status of your ballot using your state’s online tool to make sure it has been received and accepted. If you voted a provisional ballot, you can check the status of your ballot using your state’s online tool.
For information on federal campaign contributions, please visit Open Secrets.
For information on state campaign contributions, please visit your state's resource.
Information on local, state and federal candidates and ballot measures may be available here.
You can hand-deliver your ballot to your county election office or a designated drop box. You can look up the address of your county election office here. To find drop box locations, you can check your county election commission site
Early voting is available from 30 days before a statewide election and 15 days before a special election.
For more information on early voting, please see the section on Absentee Ballot Process.
The next election date can be found here https://www.vote411.org/nebraska.
Contact your local Board of Elections for more information.
To be eligible to vote in Nebraska, you must be:
Note: If you recently moved to Nebraska, or moved to another state after the registration deadline, you may only vote a Presidential ballot. By law, your residence is that place at which you have established a home, where you are habitually present, and to which, when you depart, you intend to return. Leaving for temporary purposes, such as military service or school attendance, need not result in a change of residence for voting purposes. However, any permanent change in your residence or address will require you to re-register to vote.
Incarcerated Voters & Returning Citizens:
In Nebraska, you temporarily lose the right to vote if you are convicted of a state or federal felony. Your right to vote is restored immediately after you complete your sentence, including any parole or probation. Pretrial detention and misdemeanors do not restrict your voting rights
Voters without traditional residence:
It is not mandatory for citizens to possess a "permanent home" for voter registration. A citizen can provide an alternative description of their residence, even if they are experiencing homelessness, as long as it enables the authorities to identify and assign a voting precinct to them. This precinct assignment ensures that the voter receives the appropriate ballot. The mailing address on their registration form can be a PO box, local shelter, advocacy organization, outreach center, or the home of someone who will accept mail for them.
You do not need to show identification when you register to vote in person.
If you register to vote for the first time in Nebraska by mail, you must provide a copy of a current and valid photo ID, or a copy of a utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document which is dated within 60 days before date of presentation showing your name and address.
The first Nebraska election requiring voter ID will be the May 14, 2024, statewide primary election.
Acceptable IDs must have your name and photo. Valid photo IDs include:
Expired documents will be accepted. You can get a free state ID for voting from the DMV. If you were born in Nebraska and need your birth certificate to get a free state ID, you can get a free certified copy of your birth certificate from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Note: A birth certificate is not a valid form of photo ID.
If you do not present an acceptable photo ID at the polls, you will be required to vote a provisional ballot. You must present a photo ID to your local election officials no later than the Tuesday following Election Day or sign a reasonable impediment certification for your vote to be counted.
Reasonable impediments include illness or disability, lack of documents required to obtain a photo ID, or a religious objection to being photographed.
Voters can call or text 844-338-8743 at any time to reach VoteRiders Voter ID Helpline.
Official results are never available on Election Day. Election officials are working around the clock to count an unprecedented number of ballots, and it’s essential that they take the time to make sure every vote is counted.
Absentee ballots begin being counted on Election Day. Provisional ballots are counted 7 days after the election.
Official election results will be uploaded on Nebraska’s Secretary of State website as they become available.
Official ResultsYou are a Military or Overseas voter if you are in uniformed services, living overseas OR a spouse or dependent of a uniformed services voter. To get registered and vote, you can utilize Overseas Vote Foundation.
If you have additional questions about elections and voting overseas you can use our state specific elections official directory or contact the Overseas Vote Foundation.
You can make sure we have safe, fair, and efficient elections for all. Become a poll worker today!
In order to be a poll worker in Nebraska, you must:
To sign up, contact your local board of elections.
Polling locations will be open from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm central time and 7:00 am to 7:00 pm mountain time.
You can find your polling place by utilizing your state resource.
If you have further questions on your polling place location, please contact your county clerk.
Nebraska has candidates run on a nonpartisan ticket. Candidates run without a party designation and all candidates are on the same nonpartisan primary ballot.
If you have any questions about your state’s primary election, please contact your local election officials.
Provisional voting is available ballots are done being counted by 7 days after the election.
Provisional ballots are eligible for verification in correct precinct. You can check the status of your provisional ballot by using your state's resource.
If you cannot read, are blind or have a physical disability, you may request assistance in marking your ballot. You may have a friend or relative assist you, or you may request the assistance of two election board workers, each from a different party.
If you do not understand the language spoken at the polling place or in which the ballot is written, you may use an interpreter at the polling place.
If you are physically unable to enter the polling place, you main remain in your vehicle and vote outside.
For more information, you can utilize the American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD) resource.
Not registered? Use our registration tool to fill out your application!Mail in registrations must be mailed and postmarked on or before the third Friday before an election. You can fill out the registration form here.
You can register in person at the County Clerk/Election Commissioner's office before 6pm on the second Friday before an election (unless that day is a holiday, in which case the deadline is the following Monday).
You can now register to vote online! You will need your driver's license or state ID card in order to fill out the application. Online applications must be submitted on or before the third Friday before the election.
Employers must grant employees from one to two hours paid leave to vote, unless polls are open two consecutive hours before or after regular working shift. Employees must request this time prior to Election Day, and the employer may specify when during the working day employees may take time off.
To verify your voter registration status
click here!The voting systems used in Nebraska are optical scan and DRE.
Optical Scan: With this system, you will receive a card or sheet of paper, which you take over to a private table or booth. The card has the names of the various candidates and ballot measures printed on it. With a pen or pencil you fill in a little box or circle or the space between two arrows. When you are finished filling out all the cards, you may bring the cards over to a ballot box, where poll workers will show you how to put the cards in the box. Or in some places, you may feed the completed cards or papers into a computer device that checks your card or paper right there at the polling place to make sure you have voted the way you want to and counts the votes.
Direct Recording Electronic (DRE): This is the newest kind of system in use in the U.S. All the information about who and what you are voting for is on an electronic screen like a TV or computer screen.
There are many variations of DREs because lots of companies are inventing new ones, and many cities, counties and states are trying them out. Usually, after you have signed in, the poll workers will give you a card that you slide into a device to start your voting session.
Some of these devices will show all of the candidates and ballot choices on one big screen. Often, with these big screen devices you push a button next to the name of the candidate you want to vote for (or yes or no on a ballot measure). On other DREs, the screen is set up to show pages. On each screen or page, there will probably be one thing to vote on. For example, on one screen or page, you might vote for president. Then you might move to the next page to vote for senator. Often these small-screen devices have a touch screen, where you touch the screen next to the name of the person you want to vote for. Other devices have a key pad. And some have a keyboard, so you can write in the name of someone you want to vote for.
You let the system know you are finished voting by pushing a button, touching the screen or entering something on a keypad.
You can learn more about voting systems by checking out the Elections Assistance Commission's (EAC)
Secretary of State
State Capitol Suite 2300
Lincoln 68509
LWV volunteers work year-round to register new voters, host community forums and debates, and provide voters with election information they need.
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