Nebraska

The polls are open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central Time or 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Mountain Time on Election Day, depending on the region.

Voters can look up their polling place at https://www.votercheck.necvr.ne.gov/voterview.

Registration Deadlines

• For registration deadlines, see How to Register below.

How to Check Your Registration: Voters can determine whether they are registered to vote at the following link: Am I Registered?.

You are eligible to vote in Nebraska if you:

• Are a U.S. citizen
• Are a resident of Nebraska
• Are at least 18 years old by Election Day

You are NOT eligible to vote in Nebraska if:

• At least two years have passed since the completion of a felony sentence including any parole term.
• You have been legally declared “mentally incompetent” by a court

Restorative Requirements

• At least two years have passed since the completion of a felony sentence including any parole term.

You may preregister to vote in Nebraska

• at 17 years of age provided you will be 18 by the next general election.

How to register 

Voters can register online by visiting Nebraska’s registration portal if they have a Nebraska driver’s license or identity card. (https://www.nebraska.gov/apps-sos-voter-registration). Voters can also register in person, or by mail (Voter Forms | Nebraska Secretary of State) with other kinds of ID.

To register, voters must be residents of Nebraska and of the county where they are registering. Voters moving to another county must re-register in the new county.

If You Want to Vote Absentee, requests may be made:

• In-Person
• By Mail
• By Fax
• By Email

Absentee Ballots may be returned:

• In-Person
• By Mail

Nebraska uses the term Early Voting to apply to both In-Person Voting before the election and voting by mail-in Absentee Ballot.  

Registered voters can vote early in-person at their county election office for a period prior to an election (30 days prior to a primary or general election and 15 days for all other elections). A voter wishing to vote early in person must do so by the day before the election, simply by going to their county election office.

Voters wishing to vote early by mail-in Absentee Ballot, may request an early ballot starting 120 days before the election using the form provided on the Secretary of State’s website, available at https://sos.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/doc/elections/earlyvote_app_fill_.pdf. The last day for an early-voting application to be received is 6 p.m. on the second Friday preceding the election. 

Voters can email, mail, or fax the request form to their Election Commissioner or County Clerk. Early ballots should be returned by close of polls on election day to the County Election Office by mail or in person to the election office or a drop box. 

Track early ballots at: Ballot Track

Voters who wish to vote Early must comply with the Identification Requirements set forth below.

Voter Registration

To register to vote in Nebraska for the first time, you should provide:

• Valid Nebraska Driver’s License
• Valid Nebraska issued ID

If you do not have a current and valid photo ID the first time you register to vote in Nebraska, you may provide:

• Government Issued Document that shows your current name and address
• Utility Bill, Bank Statement, Government Check, or Paycheck that Shows your current name and address

Documents must be dated within 60 days

Voting In-Person

Voters will be required to provide photo ID when casting a ballot beginning with the May 14, 2024 statewide primary election. Acceptable forms of ID include:

• Valid Nebraska Driver’s License
• Nebraska Personal ID
• Valid Student ID from State School
• Valid Military ID
• Valid Tribal ID
• Valid US Passport
• Valid ID with photo issued by a Government Agency
• Hospital, assisted-living or nursing home record

As of May 14, 2024, Nebraska requires a photo ID to vote in any statewide or special primary election. The following forms of photo ID may be used to vote and the form of identification can be expired:

• Nebraska driver’s license or state ID
• U.S. Passport
• Military ID
• Tribal ID
• Hospital, assisted living facility, or nursing home record
• Nebraska political subdivision (state, county, city, school, etc.)
• Nebraska college or university ID

Voters may complete a certification instead of presenting a voter ID if:

(a) they cannot obtain a valid ID due to disability or illness

(b) they do not have a birth certificate or other required documents

(c) they have a religious objection to being photographed 

Voters may fill out a provisional ballot if they do not have their ID on Election Day. However, voters will need to present an acceptable form of photo ID to their county election office on or before the Tuesday after the election for their vote to be counted.

Voters voting by mail will need to write their driver’s license or state ID number on the ballot application, or voters can enclose a copy of a valid photo ID or reasonable impediment certification with the application. 

Voters can get a free state ID for voting purposes at the Nebraska DMV. Voters will need to bring documents confirming their identity and address when applying for a state ID. To find more information about getting a state ID, click here. To find your local DMV office, click here.

Voters who have moved within the same precinct and county should go to the same polling place and complete a change of address form. The voter will be able to cast a provisional ballot and may be able to cast a regular ballot based on local county rules.

Voters who have moved to a different precinct but within the same county should go to the polling place that corresponds with the new address and complete a registration application. The voter will be able to cast a provisional ballot.

Voters who have moved counties after the close of the registration period (the third Friday before an election) are only entitled to vote for president and vice-president during a general election. Otherwise, the voter must re-register in the new county by the voter registration deadline to be eligible to vote.

Voting Military

Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the federal voter registration/ballot request form (“FPCA”). You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
• Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number

Voting Overseas

U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
• Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number

An individual living abroad or serving in the military can register via the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), the National Voter Registration Form, or the Nebraska Voter Registration Application. The Nebraska Secretary of State encourages voters to include their email address on the FPCA if they use that form. 

In order to vote by mail, voters must fill out the FPCA or Nebraska Early-Voting Application to request an early voting ballot. 

If a voter receives their ballot and does not think that it will arrive at the county election office by the deadline, they should contact their county election office to make other arrangements. Nebraska also allows voters to use the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) for registration and voting in all federal, state, and local elections. Feel free to use the FWAB to vote any time before an election. If both ballots are received by the deadline, only the Nebraska ballot will be counted.

Misdemeanor convictions do not affect a Nebraskan’s voting rights. However, a Nebraskan convicted of a state or federal felony temporarily loses citizenship rights including the right to vote. Currently, rights restoration is only possible after a full pardon. 

• The pardon application is here: https://pardons.nebraska.gov/pardon-application, or you can call (402) 540-2906.
  • NOTE: the pardons board process can take several months to several years. 
  • For assistance with that process, call the Campaign Legal Center Restore Your Vote project at (888) 306-8683, and/or Legal Aid of Nebraska at 1-877-250-2016.