State Feed: Nebraska

Nebraska: Ruling Makes Ballot Fights A Bit Easier

AmandaKathryn — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:00:58 -0400

Remember the fight surrounding all those petitions urging people to recall Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle? Some said it was too easy to get all the signatures needed, others said it was too hard.

Well, for future fights, it just got easier…well a little easier.

A key part of the Nebraska law dealing with citizen based ballot issues — ranging from recalls to referendums — has been struck down.

Nebraska Citizen Activist Honored for Efforts to Protect State Initiative Process

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 12:34:38 -0400

(LAKE RIDGE, VA) – Citizens in Charge Foundation, a national voter rights group focused on the ballot initiative and referendum process, presented Nebraska citizen activist Kent Bernbeck with the April 2011 John Lilburne Award for his continued work to make Nebraska’s initiative process more open and accessible to citizens.

Nebraska: Group Wants Petition Changes

AmandaKathryn — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 20:08:25 -0400

A national petition leader who helped force a mayoral recall vote in Omaha returned to Nebraska on Thursday, as his battle against several of the state’s petition restrictions went to court.

Paul Jacob is taking particular aim at a law that prohibits out-of-state residents like himself from gathering signatures for ballot measures in Nebraska.

Nebraska: Trial Set Over Petition Rules

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 12:36:41 -0500

An April trial has been set in a constitutional challenge to Nebraska laws that govern petition signature requirements for ballot initiatives and independent candidates. The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska said in the 2009 lawsuit that changes to state law made in 2007 and 2008 unfairly burden independent candidates and residents trying to get initiatives on the ballot, thus violating protected political speech.

Read the story from the Omaha World Herald

Nebraska: Must Safeguard Right to Conduct Petitions

AmandaKathryn — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 18:16:51 -0500

In regard to the recall signature-gathering process against Mayor Jim Suttle: On election day, I was contacted by longtime friend, Paul Jacob, formerly head of the national term limit movement and fellow initiative and referendum advocate and supporter. He was asked to assess the struggling recall effort which had been utilizing an all-volunteer team of petition circulators.

Libertarian Party of Nebraska Joins Suit

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:29:12 -0400

Last year, Citizens in Charge filed suit in Nebraska to challenge the state law requiring petition signature gatherers be residents of the state. The law places an unconstitutional burden on citizens of the state seeking to put a measure on the ballot.

Over the weekend, the Libertarian Party of Nebraska joined in the effort to block the unconstitutional portion of the law:

Nebraska: Libertarian Party joins petition law suit

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:09:26 -0400

The Libertarian Party of Nebraska is asking a federal judge to block part of the state’s petition law. The party filed a motion Thursday for an injunction to allow out-of-state residents to collect petition signatures. The party also asked to intervene in a federal lawsuit challenging the state’s petition laws. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in December, claims that parts of Nebraska law place an unconstitutional burden on citizens.

Read the story from the Omaha World-Herald

Citizens' Rights Safe in Many States as State Legislatures End Sessions

Tue, 18 May 2010 14:23:59 -0400

Of the 45 states whose legislatures hold sessions in 2010, 27 of them have adjourned for the year, and 5 more will wrap up before the end of the month. Of the more than 80 bills dealing with the initiative and referendum process in various states, 51 of them would have reduced citizens’ initiative rights. Thanks to the work of activists in our coalitions, only 3 bills reducing citizen’s rights have passed and become law.

Seeking Accountability in Nebraska

Mon, 10 May 2010 14:18:31 -0400

Over at Townhall.com Foundation president Paul Jacob talks about efforts to secure Nebraskans’ petition rights in “The Spike That Broke the People’s Back.” As Chairman of the Western Nebraska Taxpayers Association - in addition to being Citizens in Charge Foundation’s Nebraska Citizen State Coordinator - I just want to take a moment to say how glad I am that organizations like Citizens in Charge Foundation and Citizen

Nebraska Appeals Court Rules City Immigration Measure Can Go to Ballot

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 10:17:03 -0400

Nebraska’s Appeals Court has ruled that an initiative that would make it illegal to lease or rent to an illegal alien and require anyone living in the city to obtain an occupancy permit from the police department does not violate the state’s single-subject rule. The court also held that it cannot rule on the constitutionality of the requirements of the measure until and unless the voters approve it.

Not Surprised

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:58:49 -0500

This vote from Nebraska shows just how little importance is often placed on citizen initiative rights in some state legislatures. A proposal in the Nebraska Senate to make it easier for citizens to put initiatives on the ballot was voted down on Thursday. Most of the senators didn’t even show up for the vote, and the ones who did decided that they apparently don’t really want the average citizen to have any more power.

Nebraska: Easier to get measure on ballot? State legislators say no

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:22:36 -0500

Nebraska lawmakers deep-sixed a proposal Thursday that would have made it easier to get initiative petitions on the ballot. Legislative Resolution 300CA garnered only seven votes in favor and 12 in opposition. A majority of the 49 senators didn’t vote at all - 25 abstained and five were absent. State Sen. John Nelson of Omaha, who introduced the measure, said he was not surprised at the outcome but thought the vote would be closer.

Read the story from the North Platte Telegraph

Nebraska: Unanimous vote moves petition to the ballot

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:51:00 -0500

By unanimous vote, the city council approved the wording of a referendum/initiative petition to appear on the May primary ballot at a special meeting Thursday afternoon. “We would like to make it very clear that a no vote keeps the ordinance the same,” said councilman Larry Britton.

Read the story from the North Platte Telegraph

Nebraska: Yard waste burning issue will be on May ballot

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:49:06 -0500

The smoldering question on the May primary ballot in Blair, Neb., will be: to burn or not to burn. For 16 years, the Washington County city has allowed its 8,000 residents to burn yard waste during two-week periods in April and November. Now the City Council has approved a ballot measure to eliminate the burn periods. Voters will have their say May 11. All open burns — with the exception of tree limbs, vegetation and nontreated wood — were banned by state law in 1980. Under that law, however, local governments may authorize temporary burns.

Second Lawsuit in Three Weeks Challenges Nebraska Petition Restrictions

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 10:51:13 -0500

Nebraska resident Kent Bernbeck has filed a lawsuit challenging the state’s ban on paying campaign workers who circulate petitions by the signature and requirement that petition circulators be over the age of 18.

Federal Court: First Amendment Applies to Michigan Recall Petitions Too

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:29:00 -0500

United States District Court Judge Robert Holmes Bell has made Michigan the ninth state to see a requirement that campaign workers who circulate petitions be residents of the state struck down. In 2008 federal appeals courts struck down residency requirements in Ohio, Arizona and Oklahoma. Residency requirements of some kind have previously been ruled unconstitutional in California, Colorado, Wisconsin, Illinois, and New York.

Nebraska: Teachers union tries to restrict citizen rights

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:55:53 -0500

Powerful lobbyists such as the state teachers union and the Nebraska League of Municipalities are behind changes in Nebraska’s petition laws, leading to the restriction of residents’ rights of political free speech, says Western Nebraska Taxpayer Association chairman Mike Groene. That’s why Groene has joined up with an independent candidate from Kearney and a citizen’s rights group dedicated to protecting the right to petition.

Nebraska: Lawsuit filed in Nebraska to protect initiative process

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:21:24 -0500

Two petition drive veterans and a would-be political candidate are challenging Nebraska’s petition laws in court. In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court, the three claim that the laws will unconstitutionally burden citizens looking to run for office or put initiatives on the ballot. The American Civil Liberties Union’s Voting Rights Project and ACLU Nebraska filed the suit on the trio’s behalf.

Read the story from the Omaha World-Herald

New grassroots video update

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:17:54 -0400

Grassroots Director Brandon Holmes provides a new update on what local activists are doing to protect and expand the ballot initiative process throughout the nation.

A vote to change how Nebraskans vote

Thu, 14 May 2009 11:54:33 -0400

Saying that only big-money groups are now able to gather enough petition signatures to put issues on the ballot, Omaha businessman Kent Bernbeck may launch a petition drive to lower the number of signatures needed.

Read the story from the Journal Star