How to run in Nebraska, 2028
What it takes to get on Nebraska's 2028 ballot for the U.S. House or President, from the state's election office and laws. Nebraska has no U.S. Senate seat up in 2028.
U.S. House
- At least 25 years old
- A U.S. citizen for at least 7 years
- Living in the state when elected (the Constitution doesn't require living in the district)
| Where to file | Nebraska Secretary of State, Elections Division (mail: P.O. Box 94608, Lincoln, NE 68509-4608; in person: State Capitol, Lincoln). |
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| When | Opens Wednesday, January 5, 2028. Deadline Tuesday, February 15, 2028 for candidates who currently hold any elected office (incumbents), and Wednesday, March 1, 2028 for all others (Neb. Rev. Stat. 32-606), for the May 9, 2028 primary (first Tuesday after the second Monday in May). (expected: follows state law; the 2028 calendar isn't published yet) |
| How | File the U.S. House of Representatives Candidate Filing Form, signed before a notary public or election official, stating party affiliation and swearing the candidate is a registered voter, qualified to be elected and will serve if elected, plus a box stating no civil penalties are owed under the state accountability act (or a surety bond is filed). Mail or deliver the original with the fee (cash, money order or check); a fax with a copy of the payment is accepted if received by the deadline and the original is postmarked by the deadline and arrives within seven days. Email is not accepted. A candidate for this office may not file for another 'high office' at the same time. |
| Fee | 1% of the office's annual salary as of November 30 of the preceding year (Neb. Rev. Stat. 32-608): $1,740 for 2026, based on a $174,000 salary. No fee for a candidate who files an in forma pauperis (pauper) affidavit. |
| Petition instead | No petition alternative to the fee for primary candidates (25 registered voters of a party may file an affidavit nominating a party member, who must then file the candidate form within five days, 32-611). Independent / petition route: a person who was not a primary candidate and was not registered with a party affiliation on or after March 1 of the election year may file petitions signed by registered voters in the district equal to at least 20% of the registered voters who voted for Governor or President at the immediately preceding general election in the district (for 2028, the 2026 governor's race), not to exceed 2,000 (32-618); file a sample petition before circulating; petitions and the filing fee are due by Tuesday, August 1, 2028 (32-617). Successful petitioners file an acceptance within five days of notice and appear with 'By Petition' on the ballot. |
President
Getting on Nebraska's presidential primary ballot
| How | A person's name is printed on a party's primary ballot for President in one of two ways (Neb. Rev. Stat. 32-614). The Secretary of State may determine that the person is generally advocated or recognized as a candidate in national news media throughout the United States. Or the person's supporters may file a petition. A petition candidate's name goes on the ballot only if the candidate's written consent is filed with the Secretary of State at least 60 days before the primary (32-613). A person placed on the ballot who does not want to be there must file an affidavit by March 10 of the presidential election year saying, without qualification, that they are not and do not intend to become a candidate for President in Nebraska or any other state. If that person later becomes a presidential candidate in another state, the affidavit is purged and the name goes back on the ballot. The presidential preference vote is held at the statewide primary (32-401). |
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| Where | Nebraska Secretary of State, Elections Division, State Capitol, Lincoln. |
| When | 2028 dates computed from statute: petitions and the candidate's written consent are due at least 60 days before the primary, by Friday, March 10, 2028 (32-613). Withdrawal affidavits are due by March 10, 2028 (32-614). Statewide primary: Tuesday, May 9, 2028 (first Tuesday after the second Monday in May; 32-401). (expected: follows state law) |
| Fee | None listed. The filing-fee section (32-608) does not include the office of President. |
| Petition | Only for a candidate the Secretary of State has not placed on the ballot: signatures of at least 100 voters registered with that political party from each congressional district, on a petition in the Secretary of State's form (32-613). |
Running as an independent in November
| How | A presidential candidate running with nonpartisan status files two things with the Secretary of State (32-620(3)). First, an application with: the name(s) to be printed on the ballot; the status of the candidacy as nonpartisan; the written consent of the designated vice-presidential candidate; and the names and addresses of the presidential elector candidates, with each elector's written consent. Second, a petition. A candidate placed on the ballot this way may file an affidavit declining placement at least 60 days before the general election (32-620(4)). |
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| Where | Nebraska Secretary of State, Elections Division, State Capitol, Lincoln. |
| When | Petition due by August 1 of the presidential election year: Tuesday, August 1, 2028 (32-620(3)). An affidavit declining ballot placement must be filed at least 60 days before the general election, by Friday, September 8, 2028. (expected: follows state law) |
| Fee | None listed. The filing-fee section (32-608) does not include the office of President. |
| Petition | At least 2,500 registered voters (32-620(3)(b)). The petition must meet the form requirements of 32-620.01 and 32-628. |
| Also | The running mate and the elector slate (with written consents) are part of the application filed with the petition. Nebraska awards one elector per congressional district plus two at large. 32-616 also says a registered voter who wants to go on the general election ballot by petition must not have been registered with a party affiliation on or after March 1 of the election year; how that applies to out-of-state presidential candidates is not addressed in the text read. |
Campaign money
- Once you raise or spend more than $5,000, file a Statement of Candidacy (FEC Form 2) within 15 days.
- Your campaign committee then files a Statement of Organization (FEC Form 1) within 10 days and reports to the FEC.
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