'Advocates for All Nebraskans' introduces petitions for winner-take-all, hand-counted ballots

The populist civic engagement group Advocates for All Nebraskans (AFAN) is back with its fourth and fifth petitions of the 2026 election cycle.

On Tuesday, AFAN announced proposed constitutional amendments to require hand-counted paper ballots and return Nebraska’s electoral vote allocation to winner-take-all.

The hand-counted ballots petition would amend the state constitution by adding language that reads, “All elections conducted within the State of Nebraska for federal, state, and local offices, and for all ballot measures, shall be conducted exclusively using paper ballots.”

It would also prohibit the use of vote-counting devices and require hand counting to be conducted in a manner open to observation by the public.

“This initiative is a nonpartisan gift to the nation, showing that grassroots, everyday citizens like you and me can lead the way in strengthening democracy for everybody,” said Lincoln radio host Doug Fitzgerald. “These petitions aren't just about winning an election; they're about empowering the people that hold the system accountable.”

Eric Underwood, a registered agent with AFAN and the former chair of the Nebraska Republican Party, said the premise of the initiative isn’t a critique on the state’s current election integrity, but a way to ensure election protection.

“In the end, we audit the machines by hand counting them,” he said. “If the hand count is the verification of whether the machine was accurate, then why don’t we start with hand counting?”

Tom Nesbitt, the former head of the Nebraska State Patrol, introduced the winner-take-all petition at Tuesday’s press conference.

“The winner-take-all petition is about one simple, powerful idea: restoring Nebraska's unified voice and reclaiming our political influence on the national stage,” he said.

This is not the first time Republicans have attempted to return the state winner-take-all since the congressional district allocation began was adopted by the Unicameral in 1991.

Last September, slain Republican activist Charlie Kirk visited Nebraska to make a push for a special session on the subject prior to the election. The session never came to fruition due to a lack of support from the 33 senators needed to pass the legislation.

Underwood said the launch of the petition on Kirk’s birthday, now a National Day of Remembrance, was a way to continue the fight.

“Charlie's early efforts and the national attention he brought helped pave the way for today, for this moment, and we honor that legacy by bringing this initiative directly to the people, starting today,” he said.

Since August, Advocates for All Nebraskans has also proposed petitions to limit property valuation increases, cut property tax rates and require the state to pay a minimum salary of $50,000 to teachers. The latter two are part of what’s been called the APPLE tax plan, which stands for Assist Property Payers through Legislative Education support.

“The staged release of these five petitions is deliberate,” Underwood said. “It reflects our belief that problems facing Nebraskans are complex and require comprehensive, phased solutions, not quick fixes.”

Each of the constitutional amendments would require signatures from 10% of the state’s registered voters – around 125,000 people – to appear on the November 2026 ballot.