Nebraska Election Official: Hand-Counting is Costly, Slow, & Error Prone
A new ballot initiative in Nebraska wants to mandate that all votes be counted by hand in every election, instead of using electronic vote counting machines. But a local election commissioner says the change would make election tabulations arduous, more costly, and prone to increased error.
The nonprofit group Advocates for All Nebraskans (AFAN) debuted the campaign Tuesday alongside a separate initiative that would change the state’s electoral college system to winner-take-all. The group, led by former Nebraska Republican Party Chairman Eric Underwood, is overseeing five ballot initiatives for 2026—the others pertaining to property tax reform and public teacher pay.
State Board of Education Member and AFAN spokesman Kirk Penner told reporters the initiative is “fundamentally about trust and transparency.”
“Our initiative is simple,” he said. “By adopting hand-count ballots, Nebraska will ensure our elections are reliable, auditable, and beyond question.”
https://klin.com/2025/10/15/hand-counting-ballots-could-cost-local-tax-payers-over-500000-officials-say/#