The Law Sets the Floor, Leadership Sets the Standard

Bob Evnen hides behind statutes.

But Nebraska law doesn’t limit the Secretary of State to doing nothing—it gives the office broad authority to supervise, enforce, standardize, and secure our elections.

The Secretary of State is the chief election officer with real authority under Nebraska law to act without waiting on the Legislature.

The issue isn’t what can’t be done.

It’s what hasn’t been done.

What the Secretary of State CAN DO Right Now

1. Stop Mass Mail Ballot Requests

No statute requires it. Period.

• Mass mailings were a policy choice, not a legal mandate

• A new Secretary of State can immediately shift to request-only absentee voting

• That restores elections as an intentional act, not a government push

👉 This is 100% within existing authority.

2. Rein In Drop Boxes

They are not required statewide.

• Counties may use them, but the SOS sets standards and oversight

• The SOS can:

  • Limit placement and number

  • Enforce stricter security rules

  • Require surveillance and documented chain-of-custody

👉 Evnen chose expansion. A new SOS can choose accountability.

3. Secure Mail Voting Instead of Promoting It

Mail voting is statutory, but how it’s run is administrative.

The SOS controls:

• Signature verification standards

• Training for county officials

• Audit procedures

• Enforcement of compliance

👉 Instead of tightening controls, Evnen expanded access without matching safeguards.

4. Aggressively Clean Voter Rolls

This is not optional. It’s a core statutory duty.

• The SOS maintains the statewide voter file

• Can use interstate + federal data

• Can conduct proactive maintenance

• Can publish transparent reporting

👉 This is one of the clearest failures of leadership, not authority.

5. Enforce Chain-of-Custody and System Security

The law gives the SOS authority to:

• Issue rules

• Inspect counties

• Enforce compliance

• Oversee election systems

👉 That includes addressing:

• Ballot handling procedures

• Data transfers

• Vendor accountability

• System access risks

Evnen has relied on trust. The law allows for verification.

What Real Leadership Would Do (Day One)

A new Secretary of State can immediately:

• Require statewide digital chain-of-custody logs for every ballot

• Expand audits into real risk-limiting audits with public reporting

• Mandate video surveillance of drop boxes & counting centers

• Publish public dashboards on voter rolls, verification, and ballot curing

• Require annual certification & training for all election officials

• Conduct independent security audits of voting systems

• Launch a public election integrity portal with real-time tracking

👉 None of this requires new legislation.

The Truth Evnen Doesn’t Want Voters to Hear

Yes, statutes set deadlines.

But the Secretary of State:

• Sets the rules

• Sets the standards

• Sets the enforcement tone

And for eight years, that authority has been underused.

Bottom Line

This race isn’t about rewriting the law.

It’s about whether Nebraska has a Secretary of State who will:

• Use the authority already granted

• Enforce the rules already written

• Deliver transparency that the public can actually see

Bob Evnen offers excuses. Nebraska deserves results.

Learn more about what I'll do on Day 1, here.