Omaha Election 2021: Get to Know The Candidates

On April 6, likely more Omahans than ever before will cast their ballot in city elections. Already early ballots are being cast (request yours here) and election officials expect record breaking numbers for a primary as the city sets the stage for the general on May 11.

In some ways this primary may be a greater indiction of where the city stands than even the general. After a year of a pandemic and protests around social inequity, the candidate pool for mayor and the Omaha City Council have flooded with people talking about solutions to both perennial issues like roads and trash pickup, as well as newly focused ones like criminal justice reform and affordable housing.

With more than 30 candidates total on the ticket across a variety of races, The Reader set out to interview each person to find out who the candidates are, what they see as Omaha’s most pressing issues and what unique solutions they’re bringing to the table.

What we found is a group of people with a diverse set of experiences and philosophies on governance. Click on each district to see full profiles of each race’s candidates. We hope through these stories our readers are able to get a better sense of the person behind the name as they go to fill out a ballot for the April 6 primary.

Important deadlines:

Friday, March 26

Deadline for in-person voter registration at election commission office, 6:00 p.m.
Deadline for early voting ballots to be requested to be mailed, 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 3

Saturday hours for early voting at Election Commission office, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Monday, April 5

Deadline for in-person early voting at election commission office.

Tuesday, April 6

City of Omaha Primary Election Day. Polls open from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.

Thursday, April 15

Deadline for verification of provisional ballots, 8:00 p.m.

For more information on this election go to the Douglas County Election Commission’s website. For more dates on the general election, check out their list of deadlines.