Democrat Mark Martinez leads Republican Sheriff Aaron Hanson by 18,740 votes in unofficial Douglas County results. They become official at the county canvass on Nov. 19.
Disclosure: Oversight Justice is owned by David Mitchell, who founded the site and also owns Gamers Hub LLC, which operates as Go Gamers. Mitchell sued Douglas County, the City of Omaha, Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine and others in federal court (Mitchell v. County of Douglas, No. 8:23-cv-00332, D. Neb.). The court dismissed the suit on April 12, 2024, on several grounds, including immunity and failure to state a claim; the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed on Feb. 5, 2025.
OMAHA — Democrat Mark Martinez leads Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson, a Republican, in the Nov. 3 general election, according to unofficial results from the Douglas County Election Commission.
These results are unofficial. The Election Commission says it will canvass the election and make it official on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2026.
Hanson conceded Tuesday night, according to KETV and WOWT.
The results
Martinez had 112,599 votes. Hanson had 93,859. Another 271 votes went to write-in candidates.
That is a margin of 18,740 votes.
Of the 206,729 votes cast in the sheriff’s race, including write-ins, Martinez had about 54.5% and Hanson about 45.4%, by Oversight Justice’s calculation. Write-ins were about 0.1%.
The figures come from the commission’s final Election Night release, stamped 12:51 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4. That release showed 213,927 ballots cast countywide.
The unofficial 18,740-vote margin is far larger than the threshold for an automatic recount under Nebraska law. That threshold applies when the margin is 1% or less of the leading candidate’s votes, which is about 1,126 votes in this race.
Reports of a concession
KETV reported that Hanson conceded to Martinez around 11:15 p.m. Tuesday.
WOWT reported that Hanson posted on social media that he had conceded. WOWT quoted the post: “Mark is inheriting an amazing agency comprised of amazing people.”
Martinez told WOWT that Hanson called to congratulate him. “I wasn’t able to take his call, but in checking later, he called and congratulated me and looks forward to working with me in the transition, and I respect that,” Martinez said.
What Martinez campaigned on
Martinez’s campaign website lists four priorities: “Public Safety First,” “Support Deputies,” “Community Partnership” and “Youth & Prevention.”
On deputies, the site says he wants to “improve training, wellness, and accountability so deputies can serve safely and professionally.”
Martinez told KETV in October that he would start by talking with command staff and deputies about how the office handles its basic duties. He said that review would include checks on noncompliant sex offenders, timely service of protection orders and courthouse security.
“A leader, a true leader, goes in and evaluates, talks to command staff, talks to the troops. How are we handling our core missions?” Martinez told KETV.
Martinez told KETV he would not work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under its current practices. He said he would reconsider if the agency’s hiring, training, accountability and policies met the standards he expects of other federal law enforcement agencies.
WOWT reported that Martinez emphasized mending relationships with other law enforcement partners, including the Omaha Police Department and the Douglas County Correctional Facility. “If we need to fix things, we fix them,” Martinez said.
Who Martinez is
Martinez’s campaign biography says he served as an Omaha police officer and rose to deputy chief. It says he was U.S. Marshal for the District of Nebraska from 2010 to 2018.
The biography says he worked as a crime lab technician at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office from 1982 to 1984. It also says he has served as an adjunct criminal justice instructor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Hanson’s tenure
Hanson was elected sheriff in 2022, according to his campaign biography. It describes him as Douglas County’s 31st sheriff.
The biography says he spent 26 years with the Omaha Police Department before that.
His campaign says he started a Community Action Team and a Special Operations Group as sheriff. The campaign says those units target high-risk repeat offenders, violent crime and street racing, and address mental health and homelessness.
In October, Hanson told KETV his first priority in a second term would be improving the response to people experiencing acute mental health crises, and that he hoped to create a specialized team to do that in the first year.
Hanson told KETV he supported continued work with ICE, with a focus on people who commit crimes and put the community at risk. “I think we should continue to work with all of our law enforcement partners to keep our community safe,” he said.
What happens next
The Election Commission will canvass the results on Nov. 19, 2026. Totals stay unofficial until then.
Nebraska law sets the sheriff’s term at four years “or until his or her successor is elected and qualified.”
Under the Nebraska Constitution, elected officers’ terms generally begin on the first Thursday after the first Tuesday in January, which in 2027 is Jan. 7.
Oversight Justice has not found a date for a swearing-in ceremony or a transition plan. This story will be updated when a primary source confirms it.
Disclosure: Oversight Justice is owned by David Mitchell, who founded the site and also owns Gamers Hub LLC, which operates as Go Gamers. Mitchell sued Douglas County, the City of Omaha, Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine and others in federal court (Mitchell v. County of Douglas, No. 8:23-cv-00332, D. Neb.). The court dismissed the suit on April 12, 2024, on several grounds, including immunity and failure to state a claim; the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed on Feb. 5, 2025.
Photo: Douglas County Courthouse, Omaha. Photo by Antony-22 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sources
- Douglas County Election Commission, “Summary Results Report — UNOFFICIAL RESULTS, 2026 General Election,” Election Summary 11/04/2026 12:51 AM: https://www.votedouglascounty-ne.gov/meer/26GNResults6.pdf
- Douglas County Election Commission, Election Night results page (Nov. 19 canvass statement): https://www.votedouglascounty-ne.gov/meer/index.aspx
- KETV, “2026 midterm election results: Douglas County voters deciding attorney, sheriff races,” Nov. 3-4, 2026: https://www.ketv.com/article/nebraska-midterm-election-results-douglas-county-2026/74121858
- KETV, “Hanson, Martinez outline priorities in Douglas County sheriff race,” Oct. 22, 2026: https://www.ketv.com/article/hanson-martinez-priorities-douglas-county-sheriff-race-platforms/74220601
- WOWT, “Election 2026: Kleine, Hanson fall behind in Douglas County Attorney, Sheriff races,” Nov. 4, 2026: https://www.wowt.com/2026/11/04/election-2026-kleine-hanson-fall-behind-douglas-county-attorney-sheriff-races/
- Mark Martinez for Sheriff campaign site: https://markforsheriff.com/
- Aaron Hanson for Sheriff, “About Aaron Hanson”: https://aaronhansonforsheriff.com/about-aaron/
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 32-520 (county sheriff; terms): https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=32-520
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 32-1119 (automatic recount): https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=32-1119
- Neb. Const. art. XVII, sec. 5 (term start): https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/articles.php?article=XVII-5
