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See live election results for Lincoln and Nebraska:

Lancaster County releases final vote totals

12:30 a.m.ÌýWednesday:ÌýLancaster County has released its final vote totals, which show nearly 73% of registered voters showed up to the polls Tuesday.

The county still has has about 6,700 votes to count. That includes 3,000 early ballots that will be counted on Friday and a little over 3,700 provisional ballots that won't be counted until Nov. 15.

Nebraska voters approve enshrining 12-week abortion ban in state constitution

12:02 a.m. Wednesday: Nebraska voters approved a ballot measure to write the state’s current 12-week abortion ban into the state constitution, according to the Associated Press.

It also allows for a stricter ban to be imposed. The abortion restriction measure was one of two competing abortion measures to appear on the ballot. The other measure would enshrine in the Nebraska Constitution the right to an abortion until viability, or later to protect the health of the pregnant woman. It was still unclear whether that competing ballot measure would also succeed.

Nebraska is the first state to carry competing abortion amendments on the same ballot since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, which ended a national right to abortion.

Flood wins reelection

11:35 p.m.: Republican Rep. Mike Flood won reelection to the U.S. House seat representing Nebraska's Capital City and surrounding areas Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.

He defeated Democrat and former legislative colleague Carol Blood.

Flood was first elected to the seat in a June 2022 special election to replace former GOP Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, who resigned in the wake of a criminal case accusing him of lying to federal agents. Flood took a more conservative tack in this campaign than in previous ones, ramping up his support of former President Donald Trump and accusing Democrats of causing an immigration crisis.

AP: Fischer defeats Osborn

11:20 p.m.:Ìý In a race that drew national attention and tens of millions of dollars to Nebraska, Republican Sen. Deb Fischer staved off a tougher-than-expected challenge from Dan Osborn, a registered nonpartisan whose populist message made an surprising battleground out of a deeply conservative state.

The Associated Press called the race for Fischer, a 73-year-old former state lawmaker, at around 11:20 p.m. Tuesday as she led Osborn by fewer than 3% with nearly 600,000 ballots cast.

Harris wins 'blue dot'

11:08 p.m.: Democrat Kamala Harris won the electoral vote tied to Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.

The sitting vice president defeated Republican and former President Donald Trump in the district centered on Nebraska’s largest city of Omaha and its surrounding suburbs. The district has earned the nickname of Nebraska’s "blue dot" after having supported two other Democrats for president in the last 16 years — former President Barack Obama in 2008 and President Joe Biden in 2020.

Nebraska and Maine are the only two states that split their Electoral College votes based on the popular votes in individual congressional districts.

Initiative 434 surpasses 439

11:10 p.m.: Big change in the battle over abortion rights.

The latest vote totals show that Initiative 434, which would ban abortion after the first trimester, has now pulled ahead, with over 4,000 more votes than Initiative 439, which would legalize abortion up to fetal viability.

It's widely believed that if both initiatives pass, the one with the most votes will become law.

Dueling abortion ballot measures in Nebraska too close to call

11 p.m.: With abortion access on the line in Nebraska's 2024 election, results for two competing ballot initiatives on the subject were too close to call Tuesday night.

As of 10 p.m., both Initiatives 434 and 439 had more "yes" votes than "no" votes, albeit by different margins. Initiative 434, which would solidify Nebraska's 12-week abortion ban, led by just over 50.2% to 49.7%. Initiative 439, which would expand abortion access up to "fetal viability," led 54% to 46%.

Just 146 of Nebraska's 1,326 precincts were fully reporting at that time, according to the secretary of state's website.

"We feel really optimistic and hopeful," said Adelle Burk with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska, a sponsor of Initiative 439.

Abortion rights have been a top issue on the ballot across the country since 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned landmark abortion ruling Roe v. Wade. Among the 10 states with the issue on the ballot this year, Nebraska is the only one to feature two competing measures.

Initiative 434, known as the Protect Women and Children campaign, would amend the Nebraska Constitution to ban most abortions after the first trimester but also leave room for lawmakers to increase restrictions in the future.

Initiative 439, known as the Protect Our Rights campaign, would amend the state's constitution to establish the right to an abortion up until "fetal viability," which is generally considered to be 23 to 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Nebraska Reps. Flood, Smith headed for reelection while 2nd District still too close to call

10:30 p.m.: Two of Nebraska's Republican incumbent congressmen appeared posed to win reelection to the House of Representatives on Election Day while a third — Rep. Don Bacon of the state's 2nd Congressional District — trailed Democratic challenger Tony Vargas in Omaha area race that remained too close to call late Tuesday night.

Rep. Mike Flood of Nebraska's 1st Congressional District was on course to defeat Democrat Carol Blood, a state lawmaker, to win his second full term in the House while Rep. Adrian Smith won his 10th term representing the state's 3rd Congressional District, prevailing over little-known challenger Daniel Ebers, a Democrat from Lincoln.

In the 2nd District — which garnered national attention ahead of Tuesday's election as a potential swing district that could feasibly determine the outcome of the race for the White House — Vargas led Bacon by a 51.2% to 48.7% as of 10:20 p.m. Tuesday night.

Ballard, Bosn pull ahead

10:25 p.m.:ÌýNew results from Lancaster County show some big changes in legislative races.

Beau Ballard and Carolyn Bosn have now pulled ahead in Districts 21 and 25, respectively. Jason Prokop still leads in District 27.

In the race for Lancaster County Board, the District 2 race has narrowed considerably, although Christa Yoakum still has an 800-vote lead. In District 4, Chelsea Johnson remains comfortably ahead of David Russell.

Initiative 434 trails abortion access measureÌý

10:10 p.m.: Support for Initiative 434, which would ban abortion after the first trimester, has now topped 50%. But it still trails Initiative 439, which would legalize abortion up to the point of fetal viability, which has about 54% support.

It's generally believed that if both of those initiatives pass, the one with the most votes becomes law.

Smith sails to victory in 3rd District

10 p.m.: Republican Rep. Adrian Smith won reelection to the U.S. House seat representing Nebraska's vast rural 3rd Congressional District on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.

The win gives Smith a 10th term. Smith faced little challenge from Democrat Daniel Ebers of Lincoln, a political newcomer.

That's in keeping with Smith's wins over the last several cycles; he ran unopposed in the 2016 election and won the next three elections with nearly 80% of the vote. Smith is considered one of the most conservative members of Congress and represents one of the country's most conservative congressional districts.

Stormwater bond appears likely to pass

9:30 p.m.:ÌýNot much has changed in updated results from Lancaster County.

The stormwater bond still has strong support and looks likely to pass.

In legislative races, Seth Derner and Jason Prokop retain significant leads in districts 21 and 27, respectively, while the race between Carolyn Bosn and Nicki Behmer Popp narrowed significantly.

Chelsea Johnson maintains a large lead in the Lancaster County Board District 4 race against David Russell to replace Roma Amundson, who did not run for reelection.

Support for medical marijuana strong

9:05 p.m.: There is widespread support among voters for medical marijuana, even in many of the rural counties.

Of the counties that have reported results so far, 32 are in favor of Initiative 437, which legalizes medical marijuana, and only nine are opposed. That includes 70% or better support in seven counties and 60% support or better in 19 counties.

The county with the highest support is Douglas, with more than 79%. The county with the most opposition is Hayes in southwest Nebraska with 63%.

Results so far show rural-urban divide

8:50 p.m.: Pundits often frame things as Democrat versus Republican, but on many issues in this election in Nebraska, it's rural versus urban.

For example, Dan Osborn is beating Deb Fischer soundly in Douglas, Lancaster and Sarpy counties, while Fischer is winning in all other counties that have reported votes so far.

On the abortion initiatives, Douglas, Lancaster and Sarpy voters are rejecting Initiative 434, which would prohibit abortion past the first trimester, and supporting 439, which would enshrine access to abortion in the state constitution, while nearly all rural counties have opposite results.

AP declares Ricketts winner

8:36 p.m.: The Associated Press called the race at 8 p.m. for Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts to the seat he was appointed to nearly two years ago. Ricketts, a former two-term Nebraska governor, defeated Democratic challenger Preston Love Jr., an 81-year-old longtime community activist in Omaha.

Love had painted Ricketts — one of the wealthiest members of the U.S. Senate — as privileged and out-of-touch with most voters.

Ricketts will serve out the remaining two years of the six-year term left vacant by former Republican Sen. Ben Sasse, who resigned in 2022.

Derner, Behmer Popp take early leads in legislative races

8:35 p.m.:ÌýIn area legislative races, early leaders are Democrat Seth Derner in District 21, Republican Jared Strong in District 23, non-partisan candidate Nicki Behmer Popp in District 25, Democrat Jason Prokop in District 27 and Republican Dennis Schaardt in District 1.

Trump wins Nebraska popular vote

8:30 p.m.:ÌýRepublican Donald Trump won the statewide popular vote in Nebraska for the third consecutive election on Tuesday, receiving two electoral college votes. The Associated Press declared Trump the winner as polls closed at 8 p.m. CST.

Republicans have a history of dominating elections in Nebraska so despite Democratic candidate Kamala Harris appearing to receive more votes in Nebraska than Trump as 8 p.m. results posted, the AP called the race for Trump. The AP considers multiple factors and analyzes available data before determining whether a winner can be declared when polls close in a given state.

Nebraska is one of two states that divide electoral votes with two votes going to the statewide winner and one apiece to the winner of each congressional district. Trump won Nebraska by 25 percentage points in 2016 and by 19 points four years later. The last Democratic presidential nominee to win the statewide popular vote in Nebraska was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.

Trump also won the electoral vote tied to Nebraska's vast, rural 3rd Congressional District, the state’s most conservative, covering 80 counties and two time zones.

Early vote results skew blue

8 p.m.:ÌýEarly vote results appeared to skew heavily toward Democrats statewide, although more Republicans voted early this year than in 2020,

In Nebraska Senate races, independent Dan Osborn had 59% of the vote and Preston Love 54%.

In congressional races, Carol Blood in the 1st District and Tony Vargas in the 2nd District were both tallying about 57% of the vote, while Adrian Smith had 70% of the vote in the 3rd District.

Early voters heavily favor legalizing medical marijuana, with both petitions receiving more than 70% of the vote.

On the question of abortion, early voters favor Initiative 439, which would legalize abortion up to the point of fetal viability, 63%-37%.

A competing initiative that would ban abortion after the first trimester was losing 58%-42% in early voting.

In Lancaster County, voters were favoring approval of a $13.9 million stormwater bond issue by about 10,000 votes.

In the race for State Board of Education District 1, Kristin Christensen was leading Liz Davids by almost 10,000 votes.

In the race for Lancaster County Board, Christa Yoakum and Chelsea Johnson both had significant leads over their challengers.

First-time voters cast their ballots

6:15 p.m.: For years, Maya Stevenson has thought about this election day.

From the moment she first learned about democracy in the fourth grade, she has been counting down the years, months, days and hours until she could officially cast her own vote. And on Tuesday afternoon, that civic duty was finally achieved as the 18-year-old went to the polls for the very first time.

“I remember counting on my fingers when I'd be 18 and realizing that I could vote in the 2024 presidential election,� Stevenson said. “So it's just a total full circle moment and I just feel a lot of pride and hope in voting in this election. It really is a privilege.�

Heading into the voting booth Tuesday afternoon, Stevenson, a senior at Lincoln Southwest High School, was feeling both nervous and excited to vote in the highly contested election. She had done a lot of research into the candidates and ballot initiatives to ensure her vote went toward what she felt most aligned with her personal values and beliefs. She was ready for the opportunity to use her voice in an election, she said.

And Abena Bonsu, a senior at Lincoln East, shared Stevenson’s excitement and anticipation. Like Stevenson, Bonsu has been waiting for her chance to vote since she was in elementary school watching the news on Election Night in 2016.

Since then, she’s been looking forward to taking part in an election herself. As she filled out her ballot Tuesday, she felt a wide range of emotions, she said.

“At first I was just really overjoyed, extremely happy that I could do this. And then I was coloring in my circles, and I felt like I was gonna cry because I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, I have been waiting for this moment for eight years,’� she said.

After voting, Bonsu said she planned to go home, sit down and watch the election results roll in, knowing that her voice matters and her vote was heard, she said. -- Jenna Ebbers

Ballot counting begins in Lancaster County

5:30 p.m.: The long lines that had snaked out of the Lancaster County Election Commission's doors and down the sidewalk for weeks were gone Tuesday, as were the voting booths — making room for the real work to get underway.

Counting ballots.

At 2 p.m., 10 election workers gathered in a small room with in the back of the office with "Election Staff Only" signs displayed on the doors, and 57,000 early vote ballots began their journey through five counting machines, and back into boxes that would be sealed and stored.

Two observers watched through a window — Russell Barger for the Republican Party and Miranda Rogers with Civic Nebraska.

"It's interesting," said Barger, who said this is his first time as an observer of the process. "It's amazing how many ballots they can go through."

Rogers, with an "I Voted Today" sticker, said the workers seemed to have the process down to a science.

Election Commissioner Todd Wiltgen said the energy was different Tuesday — fewer members of the public coming in, the front desk staff mostly answering phones.

Before too long, replacement observers for Rogers and Barger would relieve them. And shortly before 8 p.m., the pizza will be ordered and the parking lot out front will be empty, he said.

And then it won't be.

About 200 cars will begin coming in once the polls close, precinct workers bringing ballots back from the polling places.

And the five whirring voting machines, each manned by two people — one from each major party — will keep counting. -- Margaret Reist

Osborn speaks to college students

4:30 p.m.:ÌýLong after he captured the attention of the nation as an independent U.S. Senate candidate whose populist message had made an unexpected battleground out of a deeply conservative state, Dan Osborn captured the attention of a few dozen college students Tuesday afternoon.

Standing in patch of grass on the quad at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's City Campus, Osborn, an industrial mechanic who is trying to unseat Republican Sen. Deb Fischer, sermonized the working class message that has proved surprisingly resonant in Nebraska and left Osborn in a dead heat with Fischer on Election Day.

When a student joined the growing crowd wearing a T-shirt that suggested he would rather vote for cats than Democrats or Republicans, Osborn seized on it, recalling the political fable "Mouseland" in which a country of mice elected different colored cats to political office each election cycle, hoping for different results.

"They try all the different kind of cats until, one day, the mice realize: 'The problem is not (that) we're electing the wrong colored cats, or the different colored cats,'" Osborn said. "'We're electing cats — and we're mice.'"

He used the fable to deliver the thesis of his dark-horse campaign, during which he has repeatedly labeled Fischer a member of the congressional "country club" beholden to the ultrawealthy.

"That's, I think, where we're at right now, with the millionaires and working for the billionaires," Osborn said. "They're going to take care of each other. The cats are going to take care of the cats, and they're going to worry about themselves.

"Well, if you elect me by the end of the night tonight, we'll elect our first mouse." -- Andrew Wegley

Election Day makes for long but patriotic day for poll workers

4 p.m.: While it may only take a few minutes to fill out a ballot, Election Day makes for a long 14-hour day for poll workers. Sharon Kelly, a poll worker at Gateway Vista, 225 N 56th St., said they had to arrive around 7 a.m. Tuesday to prepare for the voters who started streaming in at 8 a.m.

Kelly, who has been a poll worker for about six years now, said she made the decision to join after seeing her friends partake in the civic service.

"I just feel it's an important thing to do," Kelly said. "I'm happy that people come out and vote, it's a very important part of our American heritage."

The group of four ladies at Gateway Vista didn't have much downtime Tuesday, with higher numbers showing up in a presidential election year.

At each polling location, the workers are required to be from different politicalÌýparties.

It was the first presidential election for Teresa Bachmann, who said she’s been working at the polls since 2021. While there was a good turnout for the city's mayoral election in 2023, Tuesday had a different feel.

“I think everyone is enjoying seeing the greater volume,� Bachmann said. "This one has been steadier, definitely more people." — Alyssa Johnson

Convicted felons exercise newly restored right to vote

3:30 p.m.: Last month, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that the secretary of state and the state's election commissioners must comply with LB20, a new law that allows the restoration of voting rights to those who completed a felony sentence or probation.

The ruling came after Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen directed local election officers to refuse registrations for felons who had completed their sentences. That's because two days before it would take effect, Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers argued that the law was unconstitutional. The ACLU of Nebraska then filed a lawsuit that led to the state Supreme Court's ruling.

At least 273 convicted felons who have completed their sentences registered to vote in Lancaster County between Oct. 16 — when the Nebraska Supreme Court overturned the secretary of state’s directive to local election officers to refuse registrations for felons who had completed their sentences — and the Oct. 25 deadline. That number includes any voters who tried to register after the law went into effect in July.

And more people with felony convictions could have registered: The election commission has no way of tracking whether voters registering for the first time have been convicted of felonies.

As of Tuesday, Lancaster County had 206,568 registered voters. — Alex Vargas

Fischer delivers Election Day pizza to volunteers

2:30 p.m.: As voters across Nebraska cast their ballots Tuesday afternoon in what is thought to be one of the closest U.S. Senate races in the country, the woman at the center of the contest carried a box of pizza into her Lincoln campaign office, where a dozen volunteers were placing call after call in a get-out-the-vote effort as Fox News played on a TV in the corner.

"OK, everybody. Grab some pizza. Keep your energy up," Sen. Deb Fischer told the volunteers, most of whom were clad in "Deb Fischer for U.S. Senate" T-shirts. "Make lots of calls."

Fischer, the 73-year-old GOP incumbent, is locked in a tougher-than-expected fight for her third term in the Senate with independent challenger Dan Osborn, who has made an unexpected battleground out of a state that Donald Trump won by 19 points in 2020.

At her campaign office Tuesday, Fischer maintained confidence while she acknowledged the barrage of media attention and political donations that have left her in a closer Senate race than she has ever run before. She beat a Democratic challenger by nearly 20 points six years ago.

"This time, it probably won't be that big a spread," she said. "But I anticipate a good showing."

In remarks to reporters — including one from The New York Times — Fischer continued to make the case of a reliable incumbent and blasted Osborn as "ignorant" and deceiving.

The presence of national media alone signals how different things are this time around for Fischer, who insisted her third Election Day as a candidate for U.S. Senate feels just like the past two.

"I never take a race for granted, but I feel good," she said, later adding: "Of course you're nervous. You're nervous when you wait. But, no — whether it's Bob Kerrey or Jane Raybould or this guy now, it's a race. We'll see what happens." -- Andrew Wegley

Doing double civic duty

2:10 p.m.: Closing arguments in a Lincoln man's murder trial started late Tuesday morning to give jurors a chance to take advantage of another civic duty: voting.

Defense attorney Tim Sullivan acknowledged it at the start of his comments, reminding jurors of what he had said during jury selection last week about the right to vote and to serve on a jury being two privileges of being a U.S. citizen.

"And here you are today able to exercise both rights on the same day," he told them.

Lancaster County District Judge Matthew Mellor specifically delayed closing arguments until 9:30 a.m., an hour and a half after the polls opened Tuesday, in order to give the jurors an opportunity to vote first.

After they get the case, they'll be sequestered together until they reach a verdict in Kashaun McCree's case.

Sullivan said he was guessing that when they cast their ballots they made the choice they thought was the right one and stood by their convictions.

"And I'm hoping that today you're able to exercise that same kind of strength of your convictions and apply the facts to the law here," the attorney said.Ìý— Lori Pilger

Address on ID doesn't have to match voter registration

1:27 p.m.: At midday on Election Day, Civic Nebraska said it had received five reports — two in Lancaster County, two in Sarpy County and one in Douglas County — where poll workers were incorrectly telling voters they could not cast a ballot because the address on their ID did not match the address on their voter registration.

Matching addresses are not a requirement in Nebraska’s ID mandate.

In most instances, these errors resulted in voters resorting to casting provisional ballots, known as the “ballot of last resort,� which will not be counted until after Election Day, according to a news release from the group.

In some cases, at precincts in Omaha, Lincoln and Bellevue, voters reported being turned away from the polls entirely for this reason.

Civic Nebraska reported it had received around 65 calls to its helpline by midday Tuesday. It also trained and deployed 120 election observers to monitor key polling places across the state. For the first time, ballot count observers also were deployed in key counties.

A half-dozen of its calls were about electioneering, which involves wearing partisan clothing or accessories or placing campaign signs within 200 feet of a polling place’s entrance. One Springfield church that also serves as a polling place reportedly had literature about one of the state’s abortion-related ballot initiatives within sight of the voting area.Ìý— Lincoln Journal Star

Voters have options after emergenciesÌý

1 p.m.: Dan Schiermann wasn't expecting to be in the hospital on Election Day.Ìý

After a tooth abscessed, Schiermann, a nurse himself, had surgery and was placed in a wing for people to be monitored for a few days. He said he can’t remember a time when he didn’t vote.

“Whether it’s convenient or not, whether the weather is bad or not,� Schiermann said. “I mean we have all sorts of options. I could have voted beforehand; this was unforeseen, obviously.�

This election, Schiermann voted while in the hospital. The Lancaster County Election Commission works with local hospitals to get absentee ballots to people who can't make it to their polling place.

The program helps people like Schiermann, who said voting is like a God-given right to him and that it breaks his heart when people don’t vote.

The commission has contacts at each hospital in the county as well as the crisis center, jail and nursing homes, Lancaster County Election Commissioner Todd Wiltgen said.

Lori Lee has collected patients' ballots for the commission since she started in the Bryan Health public relations department about 40 years ago.

In this election, about 40 patients are voting at Bryan Health’s two locations and their ballots will be picked up by the commission by 5 p.m.

Lee said people vote from the hospital for unexpected reasons. On Monday, Lee said one person will likely be voting through the program after they went into labor.

“That's one of those things that you just can't always plan on,â€� Lee said. “And then they're pleasantly surprised that they can do this. So we're very, very happy to be able to work with the election office for that.â€�Ìý-- Neal Franklin

A quick stroll to the polls

Noon: Eighty-four steps.

That’s how far I had to walk from the stoop of my apartment building to my polling place at the Redeemer Lutheran Church office in central Lincoln, which was unusually busy Tuesday morning.

I had estimated it would take a mere 32 footsteps to get there — if I took long strides.

But to avoid appearing as if I was playing some convoluted game of election hop-scotch, I walked with the same pace as everyone else who was filing through the church office doors and down the stairs. A line had already formed just before 10 a.m. and the church parking lot was nearly full.

Was this really a Tuesday in November or a Sunday morning?

Once inside, I took about 20 more steps and got a ballot. Eight more and I was at the one station that had opened up, furiously filling in the bubbles.

On the way out — another 20 steps or so — I ran into an old neighbor, who most certainly had a longer trek than me. But I wasn't going to rub that in.

Instead, I slapped an "I Voted Today" sticker on my chest and took 84 steps home. -- Zach Hammack

In Southeast Nebraska town of Crete, voters say unity and immigration are key issues

10:30 a.m.: CRETE — A steady stream of voters braced against a cold, misting wind Tuesday morning on their way into the Crete Public Library to cast their ballots.

Sergio Blanco and Ana Lopez, Mexican immigrants who have been in the United States for more than 20 years, said immigration and legalizing medical marijuana were important issues to them as they voted Tuesday.

"We understand that there is an issue at the border, but we came here to work and live and want to vote. We still have family and friends who don't have (permanent residency) status," said Blanco, who works at the Nestle Purina Petcare factory. His wife, Ana, owns a beauty salon in Crete.

They both said they hope future immigration policy will create a more streamlined way for immigrants to gain permanent residency status. Blanco, who came to the U.S. a few years after Lopez, said he likely wouldn't have been able to gain citizenship if not for his wife.

The couple, who previously lived in Colorado before moving to Crete, said they have a daughter who has seizures and she would benefit from medical marijuana treatment. Initiative 437, if it passes, would make that an option for them.

Immigration is an important issue for Crete and Saline County as a whole, with Hispanic residents making up 42% of Crete's population, according to 2020 census data. Asian residents also make up about 5% of the population in the town of about 7,000. Many immigrants work at the Nestle Purina Petcare factory and the Smithfield Foods meatpacking plant just south of town, jobs that otherwise would be difficult to fill.

Ken Brown, a 71-year-old retiree who lives in Crete, said he votes in every election and listed unity, abortion and border security as top issues for him this time around.

"The border needs to be secured," Brown said. "We've got border agents who are down there trying to do a job with their hands tied behind their back."

He said he hopedÌýmore resources would be deployed at the country's southern border with Mexico, but also recognized the important role immigrants play in Crete's economy.

"Most of the immigrants who are here are very nice people and all they want to do is make a living and chase the dream," Brown said. "But the people coming in now aren't all good, and we need to do a better job securing the border." -- Alex Lantz

2022 law prevents Realtors from paying for 'I Voted' stickers

8 a.m.: If you look closely at the stickers you get after voting on Election Day, you might notice something is missing.

From the late 1980s up until 2021, the Realtors Association of Lincoln donated money to pay for the "I Voted Today" stickers handed out by poll workers at state and local elections.

It cost the group a few hundred dollars annually and was "just really about civic involvement," said Kyle Fischer, executive vice president of the Lincoln Realtors.

But the Nebraska Legislature passed a bill in 2022 that prohibited county clerks and election officials from taking private donations to pay for any part of an election. And Fischer said that at the time, former Lancaster County Election Commissioner Dave Shively interpreted the law to apply to the money the Realtors spent on the stickers being handed out.

"We were forced out of the business," Fischer said. "Now to get a sticker, taxpayers pay for it."

It's not a lot of money — he said the Realtors spent $684 in 2019 for 50,000 stickers and $514 for $30,000 in 2017 — but it is something that now comes out of the county's budget.

The stickers were popular with most voters. In fact, Fischer said some people who couldn't get them at their polling places during the 2020 election because of COVID-19 restrictions called the Realtors' office to see if they could pick one up.

But not everyone was in favor of the stickers being provided by the Realtors.

"We had received complaints over the years," Fischer said, because, while the local Realtors' group does not do political advocacy or donate money to political causes, its state and national umbrella organizations do. However, he said those organizations split their contributions pretty much 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats.

Fischer said that as far as he knows, Lancaster County was the only place in the state where the stickers were privately paid for.

"It was unique here," he said. -- Matt Olberding

Election Day reminders

Voter ID: Voters will need to present an acceptable photo identification such as a Nebraska driver’s license, state ID or another acceptable photo identification, or complete a reasonable impediment certification before they will be issued a ballot. The identification must have the voter’s name and photo. It can be expired and does not need to include an address. For more information about Nebraska voter ID requirements, visit .

Any voter who attempts to vote at their polling place on Election Day without an acceptable form of identification will be required to use a provisional voter identification verification ballot, which will require additional time and paperwork. These ballots will not be counted until the reasonable impediment certificate is verified or a voter presents an acceptable photo identification to the election office. Voters will have until 4:30 p.m. Nov. 12 to complete this process in person.

Voting hours:ÌýPolling locations will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Where to vote:ÌýVoters must vote at the location for their current address. Polling place location cards were mailed to every registered Lancaster County voter prior to the general election.

If voters are unsure where to vote they can look up their polling location on the Nebraska Voter Check website at or call the election office at (402) 441-7311.

Campaigning prohibited:ÌýCampaign items for any candidate on the ballot, such as buttons, stickers and T-shirts, are not allowed in a polling place. It is illegal to campaign within 200 feet from an entrance to a polling site. Campaign signs can be installed on private property within 200 feet of a polling site entrance, provided that the property does not include where the polling place is located.

Conduct at the polls:ÌýIt is requested that voters silence their cell phones and other electronic devices. Ballot selfies are allowed in polling places; however, photos should only be taken of your own ballot.

Early vote ballots:ÌýMonday was the final day to vote early in person or obtain an early vote ballot from the Lancaster County Election Commissioner’s Office. An agent can obtain an early vote ballot for another voter until 7 p.m. on Election Day.

As of Saturday, the Election Commission had received about 57,000 of the 63,000 Lancaster County early vote ballots it had issued. So far, 332,455 registered Nebraska voters have successfully cast ballots. Nebraska is home to 1,264,149 registered voters.

Voters can confirm their ballot was received by the Election Commission on the Nebraska Voter Check website at .

All early vote ballots must be returned to the Election Commission no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day. Anyone with an early vote ballot should drop it off in one of the following drop box locations:

* Election Commissioner’s Office, 601 North 46th Street

* Anderson Branch Library, 3635 Touzalin Avenue

* Eiseley Branch Library, 1530 Superior Street

* Gere Branch Library, 2400 South 56th Street

* Walt Branch Library, 6701 South 14th Street

Bipartisan teams will be present at each drop box until 8 p.m. on Election Day to collect any last-minute ballots. Early vote ballots cannot be returned to the voter's polling location.

Turnout prediction:ÌýLancaster County Election Commissioner Todd Wiltgen has predicted that turnout for the presidential election will be 70%, while Secretary of State Bob Evnen predicts about 72% of voters registered in Nebraska will cast a ballot in the 2024 general election.

In a release Evnen said he based the estimate on early voting turnout and turnout trends in recent general elections.

“County election offices have done a remarkable job helping early voters cast their ballots securely,� Evnen said. “Nebraskans continue to fulfill the new voter ID requirement before voting, and we expect that to continue on Election Day.�