Eleven of Nebraska’s smallest counties that have conducted elections entirely by mail for years say proposals to require in-person polling would add costs and logistical burdens that threaten a system local officials say expands access and saves taxpayer dollars.
What counties do now
Since 2005, Nebraska law has allowed counties with fewer than 10,000 residents to hold elections entirely by mail. The counties that have adopted all-mail voting are Boone, Cedar, Cherry, Clay, Dawes, Dixon, Garden, Knox, Merrick, Morrill and Stanton.
Local election officials and recent reporting by Flatwater Free Press in partnership with Votebeat say the approach has cut costs and made voting easier for residents in isolated parts of the state. Those 11 counties also have recorded higher turnout than the statewide average in recent elections; a Flatwater Free Press analysis cited turnout averaging about 69% in the counties compared with 55% statewide in the 2022 midterm.
Proposal from secretary of state nominee
Scott Petersen, who defeated incumbent Secretary of State Bob Evnen in the Republican primary in May, has proposed requiring in-person voting rather than automatically mailing ballots to all registered voters in counties that now use all-mail elections. Petersen has argued extended mail voting encourages outside groups to collect ballots and influence elections and said technology could make polling places accessible in rural counties.
Local officials cite cost and capacity concerns
Morrill County election commissioner Candace Panas told reporters that restoring in-person polling would overwhelm limited budgets and staff.
“I don’t have the money in my budget to turn around and get all my polls in order and all the equipment and things I would have to get to do that,” Panas said. “There’s just no way my budget would allow me to do that.”
Officials in the counties that use all-mail voting say the system eliminates the expense of renting polling places, transporting equipment and paying poll workers in widely dispersed precincts. Many of the counties that vote by mail are deeply rural and delivered large margins for President Donald Trump in 2024, and local election directors say mail voting helps maintain higher participation.
Background and data
- State law: counties under 10,000 population may hold elections entirely by mail (in effect since 2005).
- Counties using all-mail voting: Boone, Cedar, Cherry, Clay, Dawes, Dixon, Garden, Knox, Merrick, Morrill, Stanton.
- Turnout comparison: the 11 counties averaged about 69% turnout in the 2022 midterm versus 55% statewide, according to a Flatwater Free Press analysis cited in Votebeat coverage.
The proposals from Petersen have drawn attention because they come as national debate over mail voting has intensified. The nomination contest and Petersen’s plan were reported by Flatwater Free Press and Votebeat on Oct. 23, 2026. County election officials say any rule change that forces a return to in-person voting would require new spending, staffing and equipment and could present barriers for voters who currently rely on mailed ballots.
State election officials and Petersen’s campaign responses were not wholesale quoted in the reporting. Further discussion about whether and how the Secretary of State could change county practices would involve state law and administrative rules.
