Election bill amended to extend write-in candidate period

Senators advanced a bill from select file Jan. 30 that would allow for automatic advancement in the case of a small pool of candidates for county office.

If the number of county office candidates from each party in a primary election does not exceed the number of candidates that may be nominated by the party, those candidates automatically would advance to the general election under LB56, a bill introduced by O’Neill Sen. Tyson Larson.

Omaha Sen. Heath Mello introduced an amendment that would allow for a person to file as a write-in candidate in a partisan primary election within two days of the March 1 filing deadline. Mello said he originally had hoped to extend that period to two weeks past the deadline, but the secretary of state’s office requires more time to print and distribute absentee ballots.

“The issue raised during general file was the elimination of a person’s ability to do a write-in campaign,” Mello said. “This represents a compromise to address the concern of an incumbent running unopposed and allowing someone to file a write-in campaign in a partisan primary election.”

Hoskins Sen. Dave Bloomfield opposed the amendment, saying it would not provide enough time for write-in candidates to make a decision to run.

“I appreciate the work Sen. Mello has done in drafting the amendment,” Bloomfield said, “but how many of you decided within two days that you were going to run?”

Senators adopted the amendment on a 28-2 vote and the bill advanced by voice vote.