Lindstrom for Nebraska campaign fails to reach November ballot due to invalid signatures

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The Nebraska Secretary of State’s office announced that Brett Lindstrom did not meet the requirements to appear on the November ballot. Lindstrom was aiming to run as a nonpartisan candidate for governor on the 2026 general election ballot.

His campaign submitted 5,765 signatures. 3,358 of those were validated.

In order for a candidate to be placed on the ballot for Governor, the candidate must have at least 4,000 valid signatures from registered Nebraska voters. Of those 4,000, at least 750 must be from each of the three congressional districts.

The Lindstrom for Nebraska campaign said petition fraud committed by individuals working for a signature-collection firm was the reason Lindstrom could not be placed on the ballot.

“I was not aware of this activity. Our campaign and the thousands of Nebraskans who participated honestly in this process are victims of petition fraud,” Lindstrom said. “We are pursuing every legal avenue available to us and intend to hold those responsible accountable.”

The campaign said outside of the fraudulent signatures, they had strong validation rate.

Lindstrom said just because he will not appear on the ballot does not mean the ideas his campaign presented are gone.

“The ideas and solutions we have put forward over the last several months do not disappear because my name will not be on a ballot. Neither does my commitment to them,” Lindstrom said. “A few individuals may may have taken 1,543 signatures away from this campaign, but they cannot erase the conversations we have started, the people who have joined this effort or the ideas we have put forward for Nebraska’s future.”