From Rebecca Rossell-Lincoln County Clerk
First I need to thank everyone that has helped out in the County Clerk’s Office with election items due to the COVID-19 virus. First and foremost is my office staff. They have worked long hours including nights and weekends. I have a great team and my office would not function without them!
They have done their best to maintain their regular duties as well the additional election duties. I want to thank the County Assessor’s office, County Treasurer’s Office, Register of Deeds Office, Tammy White, Kristi Schweger and my family for the time and support they have given to helping with the election process.
I had made the decision once the courthouse closed to the public that we were going to mail early voting application postcards to all the registered voters in Lincoln County in an effort to assist voters. Again thanks to the people above we were able to prep and mail 21,000 postcards in a seven day period.
As of April 9, 2020, at 7:00 P.M. we have received 5332 early voting applications back into our office for processing. We are receiving them by mail, in the drop box, email, and fax. We are working them as quickly as possible to get ballots mailed out to voters. Due to the large volume of requests, it may take longer to receive your ballot this time.
Historically the largest number of early voting ballots ever issued in Lincoln County was for the 2012 General Election. We issued 4129 ballots during the entire early voting period of 35 days. In comparison my office has issued 5332 ballots in 4 days for the 2020 Primary Election as of April 9th.
Voted ballots are also starting to be returned to us. They will need to be logged back into the voter registration system for further processing. As of April 10th, we have 600+ ballots returned to our office.
The State of Nebraska has suspended in-person early voting for the Primary Election in county election offices. We will still continue to accommodate voters who require the use of an ADA accessible ballot marking device or voters who require assistance to complete their ballots. They will need to schedule an appointment with the County Clerk’s Office.
I personally contacted poll workers who have worked at polling sites in Lincoln County in the past to determine if they would still be willing to work on Election Day, May 12th, I require a minimum of 42 poll workers (at least three people for each precinct) on Election Day for the 14 precincts in the City of North Platte. I still need a minimum of 12 more poll workers for the City of North Platte plus at least 10-12 subs who could step in due to people being unable to work for various reasons on May 12th.
There are 10 rural precincts outside the City of North Platte. The following voting precincts have only one or no experienced poll workers at this time: Brady, Medicine (Wellfleet area, Osgood and Sellers (Lake Maloney area, Sutherland and Wallace. Hall Precinct no longer had a building within the precinct that met the necessary requirements for a polling site. Therefore, Hall Precinct will be voting at one of the polling locations in the City of North Platte.
Due to the COVID -19 virus, it is my intention to combine the 14 precincts in the City of North Platte plus Hall Precinct into two polling locations that are large venues. There will still be separate tables and election boards for each voting precinct spaced adequately apart. This will allow me to manage poll workers more efficiently if there are vacancies on Election Day. It will also allow me to have trained staff available to answer questions and offer support to poll workers, as there will be a lot of first time members.
I will continue to work on the rural precincts outside the City of North Platte to determine the best way to serve the voters in those areas.
As always it is my duty to conduct fair and accurate elections in Lincoln County. You can assist us in the following ways:
Early voter ballot applications
Again postcards were mailed on March 31, 2020, to all registered voters. Many of you have contacted our office saying you have not received them. If you did not receive one in the mail please do the following: Go to the Lincoln County Website, click on the 2020 Election tab and go to Early Voting
Application and print off the form; forms are also available on the Secretary of State website; send us a letter telling us you want an early voting ballot which must include your name, residence address, the address where the ballot is to be mailed (only if different than your residence address, and your signature.
We MUST have a SIGNATURE for each voter requesting a ballot. We cannot process them without a signature.
If you mail the application back to us, you MUST put a stamp on it.
We have a dropbox for those that do not wish to mail it. Do not go into the Sheriff’s Office building.
The dropbox is located in the Sheriff’s Office Parking Lot at 302 North Jeffers, near the Children’s Museum. Enter into the parking lot on Third Street and turn right. No postage necessary if you use the dropbox. The dropbox is checked multiple times each day by authorized personnel.
If you are unsure what party you are affiliated with on your voter registration please go to https://www.votercheck.necvr.ne.gov and verify this information BEFORE returning your early voting application card. If you wish to change your party, you will need to do this online at the following: www.ne.gov/go.nereg2vote . Please indicate on your early voting application request that you changed your political party online. This will assist us in making sure you receive the correct ballot.
There will also be early voting applications printed in the newspapers in upcoming weeks that can be filled out and returned by mail or in the dropbox.
- Early Voting Ballots
The early voting ballot return envelope MUST be signed by the voter to be counted.
If you are mailing them back you MUST put postage on them.
If you do not wish to mail ballots back, again the dropbox is available and does not require postage.
If you think you received the wrong ballot, please contact our office. Due to the large volume
of requests and temporary personnel mistakes, unfortunately, can happen. We will then instruct the voter on what needs to be done to correct the issue. If you vote the ballot and return it to our office before making any inquires we are unable to issue you another ballot.
- Voter Registration
If you wish to register to vote this can be done online at www.ne.gov/go/nereg2vote
A voter registration form is also available on the Lincoln County website at www.co.lincoln.ne.us
If you have questions concerning your voter registration such as address registered and party please go to https://www/votercheck.necvr.ne.gov
The deadline for mail-in voter registration forms is Friday, April 24, 2020. It must be postmarked by this date to be accepted for the Primary Election.
- Poll Workers
We need you!
If you are interested in being a poll worker for the upcoming Primary Election, a description of the duties required is available on the Lincoln County website at www.co.lincoln.ne.us . Just click on the 2020 Election Button and go to Poll Worker Information. An application form is also available to fill out or you can contact our office at 308-534-4350 Ext. 4110.
- Telephone Calls
We are experiencing a large volume of calls. Please check the Lincoln County website first for information.
We are available to take your calls. However, if there is a large volume of calls coming in at the same time or we are already on the phone you will get our voicemail. Please leave a message and phone number where you can be reached. We will return your call as quickly as possible.
Thank you for your assistance and support during these unprecedented times. We live in a great county in wonderful communities. Working together we will be stronger.