On Monday, Antelope County Election Commissioner Lisa Payne announced that a special election for the recall of Antelope County Commissioners Allan K. Bentley and Tom Borer will be “by mail” with the election date of Tuesday, October 15.
The last day to register to be eligible to vote in the special election will be Friday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m.
Ballots will be mailed to all active registered voters in District #3 and #5 between September 25 and September 30. All ballots must be returned to the Clerk’s Office by October 15 at 5 p.m. to be counted, Payne said.
Registered voters wishing to vote in the special election who will be absent from their residence during that time or who request the use of a ballot-marking device, may contact the County Election office at (402) 887-4410.
Emergency meeting
The date for the election was set at an emergency meeting of the county commissioners Friday morning, Aug. 23. The meeting came one day after the commissioners approved a motion to delay setting the date to September.
The Friday meeting was called after Antelope County Attorney Joseph Abler advised Chairman Tom Borer, in a letter penned after the Thursday meeting, that the commissioners could be in violation of state statute if they did not set the election until September.
Excerpts from the letter indicate the seriousness of the matter and the need for the special meeting.
“The board created an emergency today by its unlawful actions and needs to immediately remedy it accordingly,” the letter stated.
Abler was referencing Neb. Rev. Stat. 32-559, which states the election commissioner is required to legally publish the official date of the election set by the board at least 50 days prior to the election.
