Putting a new calendar on the wall in January means Seward County residents are fully in the 2026 election year with a May 12 primary and Nov. 3 general elections.
Candidates, political parties, voters and Seward County Election Commissioner/County Clerk Brandy Johnson all have deadlines to meet in the first few months of the year to make those elections happen.
During January, Johnson’s staff will confirm with cities, school districts, villages and other entities which positions should appear on the 2026 ballots. The election commissioner has until Feb. 1 to publish the list of offices to be filled including details about the terms, vacancies, filing dates and election dates from all political subdivisions in the county.
By March 20, all candidates, offices and issues to appear on the statewide ballot must be certified by the secretary of state. By May 1, sample ballots must be posted in the county clerk’s office.
Nonpartisan races in which there are more than twice the number of candidates to be elected and partisan races in which more than one candidate is seeking election from the same party appear on the primary ballot.
The general election ballot, then offers the narrowed field of candidates for voters.
Candidates face
multiple deadlines
Incumbent and new candidates for positions on the 2026 general election and primary ballots were allowed to start filing their official candidacy papers with the county clerk’s office on Jan. 5. Incumbents have until Feb. 17 to file their papers to seek re-election while other candidates have until March 2.
If for some reason a nonincumbent’s candidacy is being challenged, documents must be filed by March 9.
Feb. 17 is also the deadline for registered voters of the same party to file an affidavit or petition to draft an incumbent partisan candidate who has not filed as a candidate for re-election. The incumbent, then, has until Feb. 23 to submit their forms to become an official candidate.
Registered voters of the same party filing an affidavit or petition to draft a nonincumbent partisan candidate have until March 2 to do so. The person being drafted as a candidate has until March 6 to decline the nomination.
Should the drafted nonincumbent candidate decide to seek office, March 9 is the deadline for submitting filing forms.
By March 2, candidates on the ballot must file statements of financial interests with the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission for the preceding calendar year, any candidates withdrawing from a race must do so and political subdivisions must certify any special issues to be included on or withdrawn from the primary ballot.
Election officials may remove the names of candidates who failed to file those statements of financial interests by March 9.
Candidates seeking to be write-in options have until March 3 to file a notarized affidavit and filing fee to pursue such a candidacy for a county office on the primary ballot if the other candidate or candidates on the ballot would have automatically advanced to the general election without a write-in opponent.
Write-in candidates have until May 1 to file notarized affidavit and filing fee or withdraw a previously filed write-in affidavit
Voters have deadlines, too
Voters must register prior to voting in the May 12 primary, but where and how they register can alter their deadline for doing so.
In-person voter registration must be completed by 6 p.m. May 1 in the county clerk’s office for new voters or voters who may have moved, changed their party affiliation, or want to verify their registration.
Many of the rules address efforts to make voter registration accessible to all Nebraskans.
The rules allow former federal employees to register by noon on May 11, and individuals who become naturalized citizens after the close of registration to register and vote by 7 p.m. May 12.
From April 12 to May 1, Nebraska allows satellite registration offices to be open for at least one day in each incorporated city or village.
On April 24, county offices may extend their office hours to accommodate voter registration.
Deputy registrars who register voters for the primary in situations outside county offices, must do so by 6 p.m. on April 27. The county sends acknowledgements to individuals registered by deputy registrars by May 6.
Voters who are mailing in their voter registration must have their registration post-marked by April 27. This includes those registering who have requested an early voting ballot.
Mail-in voter registration with an illegible postmark will be accepted until April 28.
April 27 is also the last day voter registration can be completed at Department of Motor Vehicles or completed or returned to the Department of Education and Health and Human Services for the primary.
It is also the deadline for voter registration to be delivered to the county clerk’s office by someone other than the person registering to vote for the primary.
New, existing party deadlines
Anyone trying to add an additional political party to state ballots has until Jan. 15 to submit a petition for the primary election to the secretary of state’s office. The secretary of state has until Feb. 13 to determine if the new party’s petition has sufficient signatures to get on the ballot.
Political parties have until March 12 to submit adopted rules regarding non-affiliated voters voting in the primary to the secretary of state.
