Mail-in Ballots are Corrupting our Elections and Hurting Rural Nebraska

by Scott Petersen

I agree with President Trump that widespread, unaccountable mail-in voting undermines confidence in our elections.

For years, outside forces have sent money and operatives into eastern Nebraska’s population centers—Omaha and Lincoln—to harvest ballots and influence outcomes. Examples include over $400,000 “Zuckerbucks” went into Lancaster County in 2020, and recently, foreign billionaire Hansjörg Wyss has funneled millions into Nebraska petitions and initiatives pushing policies at odds with rural values.

The result: Even in lean-Republican districts, solid GOP candidates lose close races. We end up sending people to the Legislature, education boards, and public power boards who do not share the morals and values of rural and Greater Nebraska. A clear example is Republican Russ Barger in LD 26, who lost to Democrat George Dungan by just 224 votes in 2022; Barger requested a hand recount, but Secretary of State Bob Evnen would not allow it.

Secretary of State Bob Evnen used the 1999 no-excuse absentee reform to expand the mass-mailing of ballot applications during COVID, and the practice has remained in place ever since. Ballots for the May 12 primary start going out April 6—creating a voting window stretched over more than a month. Eleven counties now conduct all-mail elections, automatically mailing ballots to every registered voter. Outdated or ineligible registrations mean ballots can reach people who have moved, died, or are no longer eligible.

The Founding Fathers never intended a month-long election. They wanted Election Day.

President Trump’s Executive Order, signed on Tuesday, March 31, 2026 —“Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections”—provides critical help. It directs federal agencies to share state-specific citizenship lists with election officials, prioritizes prosecution of election fraud, and requires new tracking and verification standards for mail-in ballots through the Postal Service. These measures will help clean voter rolls, block non-citizen voting, and make ballot harvesting far more difficult—protecting Nebraska from outside money and urban harvesting that drowns out rural voices.

We can fix this in Nebraska. Scrap the current mail-in system and especially the mass mailing of ballots and applications. Return to a common-sense absentee-excuse system: for military members, those physically unable to reach the polls, and voters living a prohibitive distance from their polling place.

Rural and Greater Nebraska deserve elections that reflect our values—not outcomes shaped by eastern money and harvested ballots. President Trump’s order gives us federal tools to restore integrity. Now Nebraska must act: protect our process, honor Election Day, and ensure every lawful vote counts.