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Nebraska Senate candidate Scott Kleeb was seen shaking hands of voters standing in line at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's City Campus polling site this afternoon, witnesses and an official said.
Candidates must remain at least 200 feet away from polling locations if they are campaigning, officials said.
Kleeb received permission from polling officials to tape a news segment inside the student union for a television station, Kleeb and polling officials said. Kleeb, a Democrat, is running against former Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns, a Republican, for the seat Sen. Chuck Hagel is vacating.
After taping the segment, Kleeb walked over to the people waiting in line and started shaking hands and thanking them for voting, said Kaitlen Stratman, a freshman art and art history major. Five other students confirmed he was shaking hands with people in line.
Larry Hillyer, an election board worker at the Nebraska Union polling site, said he also saw Kleeb interacting with voters. Kleeb then left the Nebraska Union and was followed out by election officials, Hillyer said.
"Interacting with voters is not acceptable," said Tom Baumann, Lancaster County's election board coordinator, adding that there was an issue this morning when police officers removed Kleeb supporters who were too close to another polling location.
Outside the union, when Kleeb was first asked by a reporter if he had shaken hands with voters, Alicia Menendez, his communications director, said, "He needs to be interacting with voters" and didn't answer the question.
Later, when asked a second time, Kleeb said, "I can't remember."
After being informed that the Daily Nebraskan was soon publishing a story online, Menendez gave a third response: "Today we should be focusing on America and the changes we are going to make…not silly mistakes that were quickly remedied."
The city campus was Kleeb's first stop in Lincoln today. His campaigning started at 6 a.m., with stops in Omaha and Bellevue. His election night party is being held on campus at the Wick Alumni Center.
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