Why It Matters
Brett Lindstrom’s attempt to run as a nonpartisan candidate for Nebraska governor has failed after his campaign submitted too few valid petition signatures to meet ballot access requirements. The collapse raises questions about signature-gathering practices and may trigger criminal investigations into alleged fraudulent signature collection.
What Happened
Lindstrom, a former state senator, submitted 5,765 petition signatures to qualify for Nebraska’s ballot as a nonpartisan gubernatorial candidate. State election officials validated only 3,358 of those signatures—well short of the 4,000 minimum required, and insufficient to meet the threshold of at least 750 valid signatures per congressional district.
Lancaster County yielded the lowest validity rate among all counties where signatures were collected. Of 2,210 signatures submitted there, only 543 proved valid—a 24.6 percent approval rate. By contrast, Douglas and Sarpy counties each exceeded 82 percent validity.
Lindstrom’s campaign collected signatures in 63 of Nebraska’s 93 counties. Fifty-six counties produced at least one valid signature, but seven counties—Box Butte, Arthur, Cedar, Dixon, Garden, Garfield, and Kimball—had all their signatures rejected.
Three petition circulators who worked on Lindstrom’s campaign also gathered signatures for three Lincoln-only ballot measures. Five circulators for those ballot measures now face two felony charges each for allegedly collecting fraudulent signatures. The allegations have been forwarded to Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers’ office; Hilgers served six years with Lindstrom in the Legislature.
Lindstrom told the Nebraska Examiner in a statement, “We are pursuing every legal avenue available to us and intend to hold those responsible accountable.”
By the Numbers
5,765 — total signatures submitted by Lindstrom campaign
3,358 — signatures validated as legitimate
4,000 — minimum valid signatures required to qualify for ballot
2,407 — signatures rejected overall
24.6% — Lancaster County signature validity rate (lowest)
543 — valid signatures from Lancaster County (of 2,210 submitted)
82%+ — signature validity rate in Douglas and Sarpy counties (highest)
63 — counties where Lindstrom collected signatures
7 — counties with zero valid signatures
39% — portion of valid signatures coming from Douglas County
16.7% — portion of valid signatures coming from Sarpy County
Zoom Out
Nonpartisan and third-party candidates in many states must gather signatures to appear on the general election ballot, a process designed to demonstrate grassroots support. Nebraska’s 4,000-signature threshold, combined with the per-congressional-district minimums, creates a significant hurdle for candidates operating outside the two major parties.
The signature validity problems in Lindstrom’s campaign—particularly the high rejection rate in Lancaster County and the involvement of circulators also connected to ballot measures under criminal investigation—highlight operational and oversight challenges in petition-gathering work. Several states have faced similar controversies over the years, often prompting reviews of signature-verification procedures and circulator accountability.
What’s Next
Lindstrom’s campaign has indicated it is exploring legal options, though the margin of signatures needed to reach the 4,000 threshold appears substantial. The criminal allegations against petition circulators for the Lincoln ballot measures are likely to continue in state courts. Any findings related to fraud in those cases could inform the Attorney General’s handling of questions about Lindstrom’s own signature-gathering process.