OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Election Commissioner Brian Kruse was clear that he sees no evidence of voter fraud in Douglas County.
It was a year where Republican Rep. Don Bacon and Democrat President-Elect Joe Biden both won the second congressional district by a healthy margin.
Kruse says there’s a number of fail-safes the county uses - test decks, pre-and post election audits, and coordinated checks with the Nebraska Secretary of State's office.
“We have all kinds of audits and checks and balances. We know that the voices of those in Douglas County were heard, clearly and accurately and according to their will,” says Kruse.
County commissioners widely praised Kruse for administering a fair election, saying voters can be confident in the results.
“This year was singular in its high vote and no fraud, and it worked, and we got an honest vote and we had an honest election,” says Douglas County District 2 Commissioner Jim Cavanaugh.
The county saw an incredibly high 75 percent voter turnout, with 63 percent of those that voted, doing so by mail.
Ninety-eight percent of those who requested a ballot ended up turning their ballot in.
But last month, Secretary of State Bob Evnen said he was concerned about what happened to those ballots.
Kruse says it’s up to each voter if they ultimately wanted to turn in their ballot.
“I don’t have any real concerns and part of that is we did have such a high return rate in Douglas County,” says Kruse.
Believe it or not Omaha residents will be voting for their mayor and their city council member in less than four months.
Kruse hopes the higher voter turnout we saw in the presidential election will translate to the city elections, which typically have a low turnout.
“I think we’re receiving trends move towards a higher turnout and we’re seeing trends of younger voters getting involved,” says Kruse.
Kruse told the board that voters will likely not receive the green early voting card for the city elections, so you may have to contact the election office if you want to vote by mail in 2021.
