Nebraska voters should ask better questions

Candidates are asking Nebraskans for our votes again.

Before we give them one, we should ask for something in return.

Give us the facts. Give us the numbers. Show us the data. Then show us the plan.

That should be our standard for anyone who wants to be our governor or represent Nebraska in the U.S. Senate.

Nebraska is worth protecting.

There is still something of the frontier in this state. We raise food that feeds people beyond our borders. We have land and water handed down through generations. We still have towns where a farm, business or factory can shape an entire community.

The frontier was never just a place. It was also the idea that people could build something of their own and have a say in what happened to it.

We should not give that away.

Look at Lexington.

Tyson closed its beef plant there in January, eliminating 3,212 plant positions. University of Nebraska researchers estimate the statewide impact could reach more than 7,000 jobs and about $3.3 billion in economic activity each year.

Behind those numbers are paychecks, families, local businesses and a Nebraska community changed by one major employer’s decision.

So what did we learn from it?

How many other Nebraska towns depend heavily on one major employer? Do we know which are most at risk? Who benefits from the choices we make next, and who carries the cost?

Government cannot prevent every plant closure. We should not expect it to. But we should expect our leaders to understand our risks, prepare for them and make Nebraska a place where people want to build, invest and stay.

Our water deserves the same attention.

Water supports our farms, towns, businesses and families. Nebraska’s 2026 Water Quality and Quantity Task Force identified the need to reduce nitrate concentrations in groundwater and protect our water resources for the long term.

What we do with our water is not just a policy question. It is also about what we leave behind.

Someone protected these resources before they belonged to us. We owe the same duty to the Nebraskans who come after us.

That means thinking beyond the next election. It also means thinking beyond Washington.

Too often, our political conversations start somewhere else. Washington has a fight, the parties choose sides, and soon Nebraskans are expected to choose one too.

But Nebraska is not Washington.

We should never become a branch office for a president, political party or national movement.

Our governor’s first responsibility is Nebraska. Our senators should take Nebraska’s interests to Washington, not simply bring Washington’s politics home to us.

So this election, let’s use something simple.

Call it the Nebraska Test.

Whenever a candidate makes a promise, identifies a crisis or assigns blame, ask five questions.

Is it true? Show us the evidence.

Who benefits? Who gains? Who pays? What does the candidate gain by asking us to support it?

How big is it? Give us the numbers and put the problem in perspective.

What’s the plan? Tell us what can actually be done, what it will cost and who is responsible.

How will we know it worked? Give us a result we can measure and check after the election.

“Who benefits?” does not mean someone did something wrong. It means voters should understand who has something to gain, including the candidate asking for our vote.

Use the Nebraska Test at town halls, during debates and when you see campaign ads.

Most importantly, use it on the candidate you already support.

It is easy to demand evidence from the other side. It is harder to look at someone wearing our colors and say, prove it.

And do not give this argument a free pass either. Test it.

A candidate passes the Nebraska Test when ordinary Nebraskans can see the evidence, know who benefits and pays, understand the plan and know what result to expect.

If we cannot do that, keep asking questions.

Nebraska’s independence is worth more than loyalty to any politician.

No party owns this state. No president owns it. No corporation owns it.

We do.

This election, do not just pick a side. Apply the Nebraska Test and make them earn your vote.