LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – Several petitions were submitted to the Nebraska Secretary of State’s office on Wednesday.

Signatures for nearly all petitions active in the state were due at 3 p.m.; the latest “school choice” referendum petition is due at 5 p.m. July 17.

Now in the hands of the state, officials will work to verify that all submitted signatures are valid. Those that aren’t will be tossed, with the remaining total dictating whether enough signatures were collected to earn the initiative a place on Nebraska ballots in November.

Organizers confirmed with 6 News that not enough signatures were collected to put forward a proposed amendment on excise taxes or a grocery exemption from consumption tax.

A petition looking to add a succinct statement about cannabis to the state constitution also failed; “All persons have the right to use all plants in the genus Cannabis,” won’t be appearing in that document.

Two medical marijuana petitions — with 114,367 signatures collected for the one to allow purchasing by patients and 114,596 on the one seeking to allow businesses to sell such products — were turned in on Wednesday. The138,000 signatures on the petition to require paid sick leave for employees of all businesses in the state was submitted on June 27.

There were also two conflicting abortion petitions turned in: Anti-abortion petitioners told 6 News they collected 205,344 signatures, while pro-choice petitioners said they had submitted 207,608 signatures. Should both be verified to appear on the ballot, the one receiving the most “yes” votes in the election will become law.

“Today is a historic day. Our initiative has submitted more signatures than any ballot measure in Nebraska’s history. It’s clear that Nebraskans believe that patients, families, and doctors should be in charge of making their most personal healthcare decisions when pregnant about abortion, not politicians. Hundreds of people volunteered, and the enthusiasm was palpable. I know Nebraskans are ready to vote to protect their rights in November.”

A related petition to grant personhood to a fetus did not receive enough signatures to appear on the ballot. There was also a petition circulated that would allow for a ban on surgical and pharmaceutical abortions with an exception for those instances when the pregnancy poses a risk to the life of the mother, but not enough signatures were collected for it to move forward.

REQUIREMENTS

In order to appear on state ballots, initiative petitions must have signatures from at least 7% of registered Nebraska voters — according to the total pulled by the state on Friday — at the time of the filing deadline. Petitions seeking to add an amendment to the state constitution must collect signatures from at least 10% of registered voters; referendum petitions aiming to repeal a law require 5%.

All petitions must contain signatures from voters in at least 5% of registered Nebraska voters in 38 of the state’s 93 counties.

VERIFICATION

County election offices will have 40 days to verify signatures collected from their counties, checking that those who signed are a registered voter, and that they provided their correct address, date of birth, and signature. They will also invalidate any duplicate signatures.

“It will take several weeks to verify signatures,” Wednesda’s release from the Secretary of State’s office says.

Nebraska’s November ballot must be certified by Sept. 13.

Read the petitions

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News Director Cassie Crowe, Assistant News Director Katherine Bjoraas, Digital Director Gina Dvorak, and Reporter Johan Marin contributed to this report.

Correction: A previous version of this story contained an inaccurate submission date for one of the petitions. 6 News regrets the error.

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Copyright 2024 WOWT. All rights reserved.

Nebraska State Patrol

 (LINCOLN, NEB.)  — Independence Day calls for more than fireworks and freedom. With many people travelling to celebrate the holiday with friends and family, Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol will be working hard to keep Nebraska roadways safe and help motorists in need of an assist.

“Our Nebraska communities are full of amazing Fourth of July celebrations, and we want everyone to be as safe as possible during their travels this week,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “If your party involves alcohol, make sure to plan for a sober driver. Make safe decisions and have a great Independence Day.”

NSP urges all motorists to make plans to ensure a sober ride, such as designating a driver, using a rideshare, calling a cab, or taking advantage of programs like AAA’s Tow to Go, which is available by calling 855-2-TOW-2-GO.

Troopers and dispatchers will be working overtime across the state thanks in part to a grant from the Nebraska Department of Transportation – Highway Safety Office. The special effort runs from July 3 through July 7.

To report a dangerous driver or to request assistance on the road, call *55 or 800-525-5555 to reach the NSP Highway Helpline and speak with an NSP dispatcher.

LINCOLN – On a warm Monday evening, volunteers in a church parking lot passed large clipboards to drivers of minivans and pickup trucks, all part of a petition drive. Their objective: block a new measure that would introduce private school vouchers in the state. However, this campaign stirred a sense of déjà vu among Nebraskans. It marked the second ballot initiative within a year by the group Support Our Schools, a public school advocacy organization, following the state Legislature’s recent override of their initial effort.

As the national debate around school vouchers plays out across the country, the Cornhusker State is in a heated tug-of-war between school choice supporters and public school advocates over the passage of the Opportunity Scholarship Act in 2023. The Act allocates $25 million from state coffers to tax credits for private school scholarship donations.

“If it gets on the ballot, you can vote whatever way you want. It’s just signing it to give the people a voice that belongs in public schools,” Nebraska State Educators Association President and Support Our Schools sponsor Jenni Benson said. “If you get public funds, you have to be accountable just the same way any other public entity would be if you’re giving them to a private school.”

If the current referendum is successful, it will end both the tax credit and the state appropriation of private school scholarship funds.

While some argue the law was a workaround for the initiative, state Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, a sponsor of both bills, said this year’s law was crafted with the public’s response to the initial tax credit in mind.

“They said it was too much money, so we addressed both those things,” Linehan said. “We took it from 25 million to 10 with no escalator, and it’s no longer a tax credit. That’s what they said the problem was. … we listened, and we adjusted to what they said was problematic.”

She added that the state is already adequately funding public schools, pointing to a $1 billion funding boost for public education approved by Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen last year, raising special education funding to 80%.

The debate plays out in Nebraska

Currently, 29 states and DC operate some form of school voucher system. While some states have more expansive programs than others, Nebraska’s is one of the newest. It was previously one of two states, including North Dakota, that didn’t offer some form of public funding for private school tuition.

In the days leading up to the Opportunity Scholarship application deadline for the next academic year, approximately 2,000 students had submitted applications, according to Lauren Gage, the Director of Marketing and Outreach at Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska. The program gives priority to students from low-income families, those who have experienced bullying, children of military personnel, foster care students, and those with an Individualized Education Program.

“The core of this program is to help give more kids a chance who are struggling to get their needs met in the school that they’re zoned for,” Gage said. “A lot of families in Nebraska do have school choice because they’re able to afford it. But for those families that are more disadvantaged, more low-income, that’s who this program is really targeting to help.”

While supporters argue that private school voucher programs help underprivileged kids access better resources and educational opportunities, opponents say they deprive public schools of funding.

Between collecting signatures in the church parking lot, June Pederson, a volunteer and League of Women Voters member, brought up a point that many against private school vouchers highlight. She finds putting public funding towards private school scholarships troubling because these are less accountable for discriminating against LGBTQ+ students and staff.

“If you want your child to have education other than a public school, wonderful, but don’t ask me to pay for it,” Pederson said. “Particularly if they have the option to say, ‘as a teacher, we heard you’re gay, and we don’t want you here,’ or ‘you have to follow our rules regarding abortion.’ We don’t do that in public schools.”