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OMAHA — Mark Martinez is suing to get back on the ballot for Douglas County sheriff.
His campaign is asking the Nebraska Supreme Court to overturn a decision last week from the Douglas County election commissioner who determined that he doesn’t qualify to run for the position after the Douglas County Republican Party filed a complaint questioning Martinez’s eligibility.
Martinez needs a ruling quickly, because the primary election is a month and a half away, and ballots are soon to be printed. His attorney seeks to skip the typical steps and head straight to the state’s high court.
The county GOP complaint had argued that he was ineligible to file for election to the office under a 2024 state law that requires a candidate for sheriff to possess a certificate or diploma from the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center before filing to run or being appointed to the job. The party said Martinez, a former U.S. marshal for Nebraska, no longer had an active law enforcement certificate.
The Martinez campaign argued that Nebraska’s 2024 law “does not specify that a law enforcement certificate must belong to an active law enforcement officer” and that Martinez has more than the law’s required “law enforcement certificate” and “diploma,” that he has both.
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They also said his eligibility to run for sheriff had been reviewed and green-lighted by the Douglas County Election Commission, the Douglas County Attorney’s Office and the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office before the GOP complaint was filed, the same people the county’s new top election official says she consulted before deciding Martinez’s fate.
First-year Douglas County Election Commissioner Danielle Jensen said she changed her stance after further reviewing the law and consulting with the county attorney and secretary of state.
Her decision was cheered by the Douglas County GOP, which called it the “right” one.
Jensen formerly worked as a communications director and senior policy adviser for U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., before Gov. Jim Pillen appointed her to the county elections job late last year.
Martinez announced his entry into the race for the Douglas County sheriff’s last month against the incumbent Republican Sheriff Aaron Hanson. The Hanson campaign had no immediate comment.
Martinez said in a statement that his campaign is “confident the court will recognize the legal merits of our case, correct this flawed ruling and restore my name to the ballot.”
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- 6:51 pmEditor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify which level of Republican Party pursued the complaint.
