Nebraska holds 1st in-person vote in weeks amid pandemic

OMAHA, Neb. — Nebraska on Tuesday opened polling places as the state held the nation’s first inperson primary since a heavily criticized election in Wisconsin five weeks ago in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.

Polling places in the Omaha area appeared quiet, in part because there was a number of absentee ballots mailed into election offices. Officials had encouraged mail-in voting, though GOP Gov. Pete Ricketts and Secretary of State Bob Evnen pledged to forge ahead with an in-person primary even though many other states rescheduled theirs or switched to all-mail voting.

This year’s primary includes a high-profile race among Democrats who want to unseat GOP Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District.