With the start of 2012 this upcoming weekend, potential candidates for offices to be decided by voters in the primary and general elections are reminded of filing periods and deadlines.
Wednesday, Feb. 15, is the deadline for incumbents. No incumbent who resigns from elective office before the expiration of his or her term shall file for any office after Feb. 15. An incumbent is anyone who holds elective office, including a person who holds one elective office and wants to file for another elective office.
Thursday, March 1, is non-incumbent filing deadline.
Only one Nemaha County office is up for election in 2012. That is the 2nd District county commissioner. Dennis Wittmann is the incumbent. He was appointed to the office last March upon the resignation of Monty Lovelace. Lovelace moved to western Nebraska.
Other area positions up for election in 2012 include: positions on the Auburn City Council, Auburn and Johnson-Brock Public Schools boards of education; Peru mayor and city council and village boards.
The 1st District Legislature is up for election in 2012. State Sen. Lavon Heidemann of Elk Creek is in his eighth and final year because of term limits. Heidemann announced his candidacy for the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. Incumbent Regent Jim McClurg is not seeking a second full term.
For the Tuesday, Nov. 6, general election, filing deadline for incumbents is Sunday, July 15 and for non-incumbents is Wednesday, Aug. 1. That is for the following offices: village boards, county weed boards, educational service units, reclamation districts, township officers, public power districts grossing less than $40 million and Class II school districts.
There will also be elections for the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate and the presidency.
With reapportionment of Congressional districts by the 2011 Legislature, Nemaha and four other Southeast Nebraska counties were placed in the 3rd Congressional District, represented by Rep. Adrian Smith.
Five Republicans are seeking the U.S. Senate nomination. Incumbent U.S. Senator Ben Nelson announced Dec. 27 that he will not seek a third term.
Nebraska Democrats will have presidential caucuses Saturday, April 14. Area locations will be announced later. The caucus will be binding and determine the statewide presidential preference throughout the delegate selection process. There will still be a presidential primary May 15. However, results of the Democratic presidential primary will not have any bearing on delegate selection. President Obama is unopposed for renomination.
Seven Republicans are seeking their party’s presidential nomination: Michele Bachmann, U.S. representative from Minnesota; Newt Gingrich, former U.S. representative from Georgia and former U.S. House speaker; Jon Huntsman, former governor of Utah; Ron Paul, U.S. representative from Texas; Rick Perry, governor of Texas; Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts and Rick Santorum, former U.S. representative and U.S. senator from Pennsylvania. Tuesday, Jan. 3, are the Iowa caucuses, followed by the Tuesday, Jan. 10, New Hampshire primary. There are January primaries in Nevada and Florida. There are primaries and caucuses in 31 states and the District of Columbia before the Nebraska primary election.