Nebraska Initiative Measure 411, Right to Quality Education and Education Funding Amendment (1996)
| Nebraska Initiative Measure 411 | |
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| Topic Constitutional rights and Public education funding |
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| Status |
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| Type Initiated constitutional amendment |
Origin |
Nebraska Initiative Measure 411 was on the ballot as an initiated constitutional amendment in Nebraska on November 5, 1996. It was defeated.
A "yes" vote supported amending the Nebraska Constitution to:
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A "no" vote opposed amending the Nebraska Constitution to declare quality education a fundamental right, make it the state's duty to provide public education, and require a school finance system, starting in 1998-99, that guarantees each district at least 1997–98 per-pupil funding, adjusted for inflation. |
Election results
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Nebraska Initiative Measure 411 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 146,426 | 22.43% | ||
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506,246 | 77.57% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Initiative Measure 411 was as follows:
| “ | Shall the Nebraska Constitution be amended to provide that: "quality education" shall be a fundamental constitutional right of each person; the "thorough and efficient education" of all persons between the ages of 5 and 21 in the common schools shall be the "paramount duty" of the state; beginning with the 1998-1999 school year, the Legislature shall establish a school finance system which provides for thorough education in efficiently operated public schools; and that for 1998-99 each school district shall receive at least as much per pupil funding as in 1997-98. (Provisions severable)." [ ] For [ ] Against | ” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for this measure was:
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A vote FOR will amend the Constitution of Nebraska so as to make "quality education" a fundamental constitutional right of each person; make "thorough and efficient education" of all persons between the ages of 5 and 21 in the common schools the "paramount duty" of the state; authorize the Legislature to provide for the education of other persons in state institutions; direct the Legislature to establish a school finance system which provides for thorough education in efficiently operated public schools; and require that for 1998-99 each school district shall receive at least as much per pupil finding as in 1997-98. A vote AGAINST will not cause the Constitution of Nebraska to be amended in such a manner. | ” |
Full Text
The full text of this measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
An initiated constitutional amendment is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends a state's constitution. Eighteen (18) states allow citizens to initiate constitutional amendments.
In Nebraska, the number of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is equal to 10% of registered voters at the signature deadline. Nebraska also has a distribution requirement that requires initiative proponents to collect signatures from 5% of the registered voters in two-fifths (38) of Nebraska's 93 counties. A simple majority vote is required for voter approval. However, the number of affirmative votes cast for the measure must be greater than 35% of the total votes cast in the election. This also applies to legislative referrals.
See also
External links
Footnotes
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