The recall of Auburn’s Mayor Chris Erickson, which was initiated on July 23, 2025, has come to a conclusion. The signatures collected on various petitions, a total of 379, were then submitted to the Nemaha County Election Official on Tuesday, September 9. Election Official Diane Johnson was given 15 business days to verify each of those signatures as a registered voter with residence in Auburn. On Monday, September 29, Johnson released a statement concerning the recall and its processes. It reads as follows: “Statement on the Chris Erickson, Mayor of City of Auburn Nebraska Recall Petitions: It is the legal duty and obligation of the Nemaha County Clerk as the Election Commissioner to determine validity and sufficiently of all submitted recall petitions pursuant to Nebraska State Statute Section 32-631. Due to material irregularities by the Circulators in the circulation of the 21 (2 petitions were never circulated) circulated recall petitions submitted for the Mayor of the City of Auburn Nebraska, the County Clerk was not able to consider or validate 12 of the 21 circulated petitions resulting in an insufficient number of signatures to hold a recall election.
Diane Johnson Nemaha County Clerk/Election Commissioner” After speaking with Johnson about the results of the petitions, she explained that because 12 of the forms were not notarized, the signatures collected on them were considered invalid. Johnson also noted that she had contacted the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Department to conduct an investigation concerning the circulation of said petitions. Sheriff Brent Lottman explained that the law enforcement officers were not sent to verify signatures, nor did the Nemaha County Sheriff’s office have any desire to know who signed or why they did so. They were sent simply to discern who was circulating petitions by order of the Election Commissioner. Further details concerning that investigation are not available due to the ongoing nature of said investigation Officially, 379 signatures were gathered in total. Of those, 152 were valid. The remaining 127 signatures were deemed invalid due to the petitions themselves being invalid. There will not be a vote to recall Mayor Erickson, and another recall cannot be initiated due to the less than six months of time that stand before the next regular mayoral election.
When asked if she had any comments, recall initiator and petition circulator Amanda Powell said this: “We, the circulators of the recent recall petition for Auburn Mayor Chris Erickson, regret to inform the community that although 374 signatures were collected-well above the 301 required-more than half were invalidated due to a procedural error in notarization. This clerical mistake prevented the petition from moving forward, despite clear public support. We sincerely apologize to the citizens of Auburn for this oversight. While the recall effort was unsuccessful, it demonstrated that many voices in our community are calling for change. We encourage everyone to stay engaged, vote in upcoming elections, and consider running for office. Democracy depends on participation, and your voice matters. We also express concern over the involvement of law enforcement in the signature validation process, which may discourage future civic efforts. Let this be a reminder: change begins at the ballot box.”
