# Nebraska voters oust longtime election chief for Petersen  
**Published:** 2026-06-02T10:30:42.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/02/a-new-era-for-nebraska-elections-is-coming-but-why-did-gop-voters-pick-petersen-over-evnen/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/nebraska-voters-oust-longtime-election-chief-for-petersen

LINCOLN, Neb. — A political earthquake shook Nebraska elections this month as [Republican primary voters rejected two-term Secretary of State Bob Evnen](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/02/a-new-era-for-nebraska-elections-is-coming-but-why-did-gop-voters-pick-petersen-over-evnen/), clearing the way for Omaha businessman Scott Petersen to reshape how the state runs elections regardless of November's outcome in this reliably Republican state.

Petersen defeated Evnen by 10 percentage points in May, a stunning rebuke of an incumbent backed by Gov. Jim Pillen and the state's entire congressional delegation. The businessman campaigned on claims that Nebraska's election systems lack transparency and security, despite Evnen's repeated assertions that the state operates the "gold standard" of election administration.

"People having confidence in election systems is a big deal," Petersen told the Nebraska Examiner on primary night. "And I didn't think Secretary Evnen was doing enough to give them confidence, so that's why we ran."

Election officials have disputed Petersen's core claims. [Lancaster County and other counties have said ballot-counting machines cannot access the internet](https://www.1011now.com/2026/04/24/inside-nebraskas-election-security-processes-ahead-midterm-elections/) and that computers used to upload election results are only connected online when transmitting data via flash drive.

Petersen wants to dramatically curtail [mail-in voting to military personnel, people with disabilities and those living far from polls](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/02/a-new-era-for-nebraska-elections-is-coming-but-why-did-gop-voters-pick-petersen-over-evnen/). He has also called for full hand-counts of ballots, proposals that voting experts warn would be costly and unreliable. More than a third of Nebraska voters have participated in mail-in voting in recent primaries.

Democratic nominee Sarah Slattery, a Plattsmouth school nutrition director, won her party's primary and will face Petersen in November. Slattery praised Evnen's work on elections and said she has ideas to improve election administration. [If elected, she would become Nebraska's first female secretary of state.](https://www.wowt.com/2026/05/13/election-2026-nebraska-secretary-state-candidates-focus-future-elections/)

Slattery suggested GOP voters may have been influenced by Evnen's controversial decision to release detailed voter registration data to the federal Justice Department and his handling of ballot initiatives on medical marijuana that drew more than two-thirds voter support in 2024.

"It's somebody who wants to get in there and make drastic … radical … sweeping changes," Slattery said of Petersen. "It's scary to me."

Petersen received endorsements from 18 county Republican parties and has ties to the faction that took control of the Nebraska GOP in 2022. He characterized his victory as a referendum on election integrity concerns raised by President Donald Trump and frustration with state leaders.

Attorney General Mike Hilgers, who supported Evnen, has since endorsed Petersen for the general election while acknowledging conservatives want something more than assurances that nothing is wrong with current systems.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/02/a-new-era-for-nebraska-elections-is-coming-but-why-did-gop-voters-pick-petersen-over-evnen/)
- [10/11 News reporting on Nebraska election security processes and machine testing](https://www.1011now.com/2026/04/24/inside-nebraskas-election-security-processes-ahead-midterm-elections/)
- [WOWT reporting on Nebraska Secretary of State election candidates](https://www.wowt.com/2026/05/13/election-2026-nebraska-secretary-state-candidates-focus-future-elections/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/02/a-new-era-for-nebraska-elections-is-coming-but-why-did-gop-voters-pick-petersen-over-evnen/.