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Primary elections in Nebraska
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Primary elections allow voters to determine which candidates compete in the general election and can be nonpartisan or partisan. In partisan primaries, voters choose the candidates they prefer for a political party to nominate in the general election.
The laws governing primary elections vary from state to state and can even vary within states by locality and political party. For example, only registered party members are allowed to vote in closed primaries, while registered party members and unaffiliated voters are allowed to vote in semi-closed primaries, and all voters are allowed to vote in open primaries.
Primary elections also vary by the way their outcomes are determined. Majority systems require the winning candidate to receive at least fifty percent of the votes cast, while plurality systems do not. In top-two primaries, top-four primaries, and blanket primaries, all candidates are listed on the same ballot, regardless of partisan affiliation.
See the sections below for general information on the use of primary elections in the United States and specific information on the types of primaries held in Nebraska:
- BackgroundThe different types of primary election participation models used in the United States, and details about methods to determine the outcomes of primaries.
- Primary election systems used in NebraskaPrimary election systems used in Nebraska, including primaries for congressional and state-level offices.
- State legislation and ballot measuresState legislation and ballot measures relevant to primary election policy in Nebraska.
Background
In general, there are two broad criteria by which primary elections can vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction:
1. Rules of participation: In jurisdictions that conduct partisan primaries, who can vote in a party's primary? Is participation limited to registered party members, or can other eligible voters (such as unaffiliated voters or voters belonging to other parties) participate? In general, there are three basic types of primary election participation models: open primaries, closed primaries, and semi-closed primaries. Several states also use a top-two primary or a variant of that system.
- In closed primaries only registered party members are allowed to vote.
- In semi-closed primaries, registered party members and unaffiliated voters are allowed to vote.
- In open primaries, all voters are allowed to vote.
- In top-two primaries, top-four primaries, and blanket primaries, all candidates are listed on the same ballot, regardless of partisan affiliation and voters may vote for candidates from more than one party.
2. Vote requirements: What share of the total votes cast does a candidate have to receive in order to advance to the general election? Methods for determining primary election outcomes include plurality voting systems ans majority voting systems. Two states, California and Washington, use top-two primaries, while one, Alaska, uses a top-four primary. Both are plurality systems. Maine use ranked-choice voting for some primaries, which is a majority system.
Primary election systems used in Nebraska
Congressional and state-level elections
In 23 states, at least one political party utilizes closed primaries to nominate partisan candidates for congressional and state-level (e.g. state legislators, governors, etc.) offices. In 19 states, at least one party utilizes open primaries to nominate partisan candidates for these offices. In 12 states, at least one party utilizes semi-closed primaries. In 5 states, top-two primaries or a variation are used.[1] These state primaries are a separate entity and are not included in the totals for open, closed, or semi-closed primaries.
In Nebraska, participation rules for primaries vary by the office up for election. State legislative primaries use a nonpartisan top-two system in which any voter can participate. Congressional primaries are partisan, but any voter may vote in the congressional primary of their choice. For all other statewide offices, a state party can determine if it will allow unaffiliated voters to vote their primary ballot.
State law says:[2]
| “ | A registered voter who is affiliated with a political party shall receive from the receiving board all nonpartisan ballots and the partisan ballot of the political party indicated on his or her voter registration. Except as provided in subsections (2) and (3) of this section, a registered voter who is not affiliated with any political party shall receive only nonpartisan ballots at a primary election. (2) Any political party may allow registered voters who are not affiliated with a political party to vote in the primary election for any elective office for which the party has candidates. Any political party desiring to permit such registered voters to vote for candidates of that party in the primary election shall file a letter stating that the governing body of the political party has adopted a rule allowing registered voters who are not affiliated with a political party to vote in the primary election for candidates of that party. The letter and copy of the adopted rule shall be filed with the Secretary of State at least sixty days before the primary election... |
” |
As of September 2025, the Democratic Party held a semi-closed primary in which registered party members and unaffiliated voters could participate, and the Republican Party held a closed primary in which only registered party members could participate.
A voter who wants to affiliate with a political party or change their affiliation must re-register. The deadline to do so in person is the second Friday before the election, while the deadline to do so online is the third Friday before the election.[4][5][6]
For partisan state offices, the candidate who receives the most votes in the primary is declared the winner and advances to the general election.[7]
The table below lists Nebraska offices for which parties must conduct primary elections to nominate their candidates.
| Office | Number of seats |
|---|---|
| Governor of Nebraska | 1 |
| United States Senators | 2 |
| United States Representatives | 3 |
| Nebraska State Treasurer | 1 |
| Nebraska Attorney General | 1 |
| Nebraska Secretary of State | 1 |
| Nebraska Auditor of Public Accounts | 1 |
| Nebraska Public Service Commission | 5 |
| Local officials | Varies by municipality |
State legislation and ballot measures
The table below lists bills related to primary elections that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session in Nebraska. The following information is included for each bill:
- State
- Bill number
- Official bill name or caption
- Most recent action date
- Legislative status
- Sponsor party
- Topics dealt with by the bill
Bills are organized by most recent action. The table displays up to 100 results. To view more bills, use the arrows in the upper-right corner. Clicking on a bill will open its page on Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.
Primary systems ballot measures
Since 2017, Ballotpedia has tracked no ballot measures relating to primary elections in Nebraska.
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Top-two primary systems, such as those utilized in California, Nebraska, and Washington, and variations of those systems, such as the top-four system used in Alaska and the majority-vote system used in Louisiana, are sometimes classified as open primary systems because voter participation in such primaries is not tied to partisan affiliation. For the purposes of this article, these primaries are considered to be a separate entity. For more information about top-two primaries and their variations, see this article.
- ↑ Nebraska Legislature, "Neb. Rev. Stat. § 32–912," accessed September 16, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Nebraska Legislature, "Neb. Rev. Stat. § 32–314," accessed September 16, 2025
- ↑ Nebraska Legislature, "Neb. Rev. Stat. § 32–302," accessed September 16, 2025
- ↑ Nebraska Legislature, "Neb. Rev. Stat. § 32–304," accessed September 16, 2025
- ↑ Nebraska Legislature, "Neb. Rev. Stat. § 32-1122," accessed September 16, 2025
