LINCOLN— Former state Sen. Brett Lindstrom failed to qualify for the Nebraska governor’s race after too many of his petition signatures were rejected, with the largest problems occurring in Lancaster County. Lindstrom submitted 5,765 signatures statewide but needed at least 4,000 valid signatures and 750 from each congressional district. Only about 58.2% were accepted statewide, and in Lancaster County just 543 of 2,210 signatures — 24.6% — were valid.

Three petition circulators who worked for Lindstrom’s campaign are also facing felony charges related to suspected fraudulent signatures collected for separate Lincoln ballot initiatives. Lindstrom said he was unaware of any suspected fraud and blamed the circulators for keeping him off the ballot, adding that his campaign is considering legal action. Allegations involving his petitions have been referred to Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers’ office. Lindstrom’s signatures performed much better in Douglas and Sarpy counties, where more than 82% were accepted, but the Lancaster County rejections ultimately contributed heavily to his failure to qualify for the November 3 ballot.

Click HERE for the full article