OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — A name was left off ballots for about 2,900 absentee voters in Dodge County, but the county clerk sent corrected ballots.
The issue was in the race for Lower Platte North Natural Resources District, Subdistrict 7, which includes much of rural northwest Saunders County. But voters across the Lower Platte North NRD vote for all seats in the district, regardless of the subdistrict, Dodge County Clerk Fred Mytty said.
All voters who received early ballots in Dodge County that live within the Lower Platte North NRD, which includes Fremont, were sent a second, corrected ballot.
The impacted race is between Doug Shuster and Ryan Engel. Only Engel was listed.
Mytty, who will retire after his existing term is up, said in a public apology that he's been in the role for 48 years, but it's his first time leaving a name off the ballot.
He said Dodge County is Nebraska's most populous county where the clerk and the election commissioner are the same person.
Between other responsibilities of the job and a personal health issue, Mytty wrote, the mistake was initially missed.
"I want to apologize to the voters and candidates of Subdistrict 7 of the Lower Platte North Natural Resources District for the error and to my staff for the extra work this has caused," he wrote.
He strongly prefers impacted voters return the corrected ballot. If no new ballot is received, but the original one was, a two-person team will fill out a new ballot that can go through the machine. But the impacted race would not be counted, Mytty told 3 News Now.
A letter sent to voters with the corrected ballot says "once we have sent you a ballot, you do not have the option of going to the polls."
Voters could go to the polls and fill out a provisional ballot, though, Nebraska Deputy Secretary of State for Elections Wayne Bena told 3 News Now. But a typical ballot would not be available because a ballot was sent in the mail.
But for the sake of speedy elections, officials say, return the corrected ballot.
Download our apps today for all of our latest coverage.
Get the latest news and weather delivered straight to your inbox
