Nebraska Redistricting Commission Initiative (2020)
| Nebraska Redistricting Commission Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 3, 2020 | |
| Topic Redistricting measures | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The Nebraska Redistricting Commission Initiative was not on the ballot in Nebraska as an initiated constitutional amendment on November 3, 2020.[1][2]
The initiative would have created a nine-member commission of registered voters to draw legislative and congressional districts. The amendment would have required that the new districts be equal in population, contiguous, non-discriminatory, and to align with other local boundaries wherever possible.[3]
Text of measure
Object statement
The object statement was as follows:[1]
| “ |
Amend the Nebraska Constitution to require that the Legislature appoint a commission of nine registered voters to draw the maps of election districts. Election districts would be required to be drawn in public in a manner that is transparent, not to intentionally favor any incumbent or political party, and not to unduly favor or disfavor any political party when viewed on a statewide basis. Subject to other provisions of the Constitution, election districts would be required to be equal in population and contiguous, to be non-discriminatory, and to track county, municipal and neighborhood boundaries wherever possible.[4] |
” |
Full text
- The full text of the measure is available here.
Sponsors
Nebraskans for Independent Redistricting sponsored the initiative.[1]
Background
Methods of redistricting in U.S.
In general, states vest one of the following three entities with redistricting authority:[5]
- State legislatures: In 37 of the 43 states required to conduct congressional redistricting, state legislatures have the final authority to draft and implement congressional district maps.[6] Likewise, in 37 of the 50 states, state legislatures are primarily responsible for state legislative redistricting. In these states, legislatures typically adopt district lines by a simple majority vote in each chamber. A state's governor may usually veto the legislature's redistricting plan.[7]
- Independent commissions: The composition of independent redistricting commissions varies from state to state. However, in all cases, the direct participation of elected officials is limited. Independent redistricting commissions exist in six states (in four of these states, independent commissions draw congressional and state legislative boundaries; in two, independent commissions draw only state legislative district boundaries).
- Politician commissions: The composition of politician redistricting commissions varies from state to state. For example, in some states, specific officials (e.g., governors, secretaries of state, etc.) are de facto commission members; in others, legislative leaders appoint other legislators to serve as commissioners. In all cases, elected officials may participate directly by sitting on the commissions. In two of the 43 states required to conduct congressional redistricting, politician commissions are responsible for drawing the maps. In seven states, politician commissions are responsible for state legislative redistricting.
Procedures for congressional redistricting in U.S.
Most states are required to draw new congressional district lines every 10 years following completion of United States Census (those states comprising one congressional district are not required to redistrict). In 33 of these states, state legislatures play the dominant role in congressional redistricting. In nine states, commissions draw congressional district lines. In two states, hybrid systems are used, in which the legislatures share redistricting authority with commissions. The remaining states comprise one congressional district each, rendering redistricting unnecessary. See the map and table below for further details.[8][9]
Procedures for state legislative redistricting in U.S.
In 34 of the 50 states, state legislatures play the dominant role in state legislative redistricting. Commissions draw state legislative district lines in 14 states. In two states, hybrid systems are used, in which state legislature share redistricting authority with commissions. See the map and table below for further details.[8][9][10]
Path to the ballot
The state process
In Nebraska, the number of signatures required to qualify an initiated constitutional amendment for the ballot is equal to 10 percent of registered voters as of the deadline for filing signatures. Because of the unique signature requirement based on registered voters, Nebraska is also the only state where petition sponsors cannot know the exact number of signatures required until they are submitted. Nebraska law also features a distribution requirement mandating that petitions contain signatures from 5 percent of the registered voters in each of two-fifths (38) of Nebraska's 93 counties.
Signatures must be submitted at least four months prior to the next general election. Signatures do not roll over and become invalid after the next general election at least four months after the initial initiative application filing. Depending on when the initiative application is filed, petitioners can have up to just under two years to circulate petitions.
The requirements to get an initiated constitutional amendment certified for the 2020 ballot:
- Signatures: 122,274[11]
- Deadline: The deadline to submit signatures was July 2, 2020.
Signatures are submitted to the secretary of state. The secretary of state sends the appropriate signature petitions to each county, where county election officials verify the signatures. Upon receiving the signatures back from county officials, the secretary of state determines whether or not the requirements were met.
Details about this initiative
- Nebraskans for Independent Redistricting filed this initiative on March 5, 2020.[1]
- On June 24, 2020, the campaign announced that it was ending its effort to put the initiative on the November ballot citing the coronavirus restrictions. Nebraskans for Independent Redistricting said, "Our team worked tirelessly to explore every option to move the effort forward but we were not able to run a traditional signature drive due to public health concerns."[12]
See also
External links
- [hhttps://sos.nebraska.gov/sites/sos.nebraska.gov/files/doc/elections/Petitions/Redistricting-Reform-Petition.pdf Initiative petition full text]
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Nebraska Secretary of State, "Redistricting Initiative," accessed March 30, 2020
- ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "2020 Election," accessed March 30, 2020
- ↑ Nebraska Legislature, "Nebraska Revised Statute 45-927," accessed October 21, 2019
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ All About Redistricting, "Who draws the lines?" accessed June 19, 2017
- ↑ Seven states contain only one congressional district each, rendering congressional redistricting unnecessary.
- ↑ All About Redistricting, "Who draws the lines?" accessed March 25, 2015
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 All About Redistricting, "National Summary," accessed July 29, 2024
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 The American Redistricting Project, "State," accessed July 29, 2024
- ↑ NCSL, "Redistricting Commissions: State Legislative Plans," December 10, 2021
- ↑ This requirement is approximate. Since the Nebraska signature requirement is based on the number of registered voters at the time of filing, it can vary slightly.
- ↑ Facebook, "Nebraskans for Independent Redistricting," June 24, 2020
