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Nebraska Referendum 400, School Consolidation Referendum (1986)
| Nebraska Referendum 400 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Public education governance |
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| Status |
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| Type Veto referendum |
Origin |
Nebraska Referendum 400 was on the ballot as a veto referendum in Nebraska on November 4, 1986. It was defeated.
A "for" vote retained Legislative Bill 662, which required public elementary-only school districts to merge with school districts containing a high school, to limited the percentage of total operational costs of the public school system derived from taxes on real property, and increased the amount of state financial support to the public schools through an increase in the state sales tax. |
A "against" vote repealed Legislative Bill 662, which required public elementary-only school districts to merge with school districts containing a high school, to limited the percentage of total operational costs of the public school system derived from taxes on real property, and increased the amount of state financial support to the public schools through an increase in the state sales tax. |
Election results
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Nebraska Referendum 400 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 173,498 | 33.50% | ||
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344,445 | 66.50% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Referendum 400 was as follows:
| “ | Shall Legislative Bill 662, enacted by the Eighty-Ninth Legislature of the State of Nebraska in its First Session, the purposes of which are to require public elementary-only school districts to merge, affiliate or become a part of public school districts containing a high school, to limit the percentage of total operational costs of the public school system derived from taxes on real property, and to increase the amount of state financial support to the public schools through an increase in the state sales tax, be retained? [ ] For [ ] Against | ” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for this measure was:
| “ |
A vote FOR will retain Legislative Bill 662, which would: (1) Require public elementary-only school districts to merge or affiliate with public school districts containing a high school; (2) Establish a requirement that no more than forty-five percent of the total operational costs of the public school system of the State of Nebraska be derived from taxes on real property; and (3) Provide increased financial support from the state to the public schools through an increase in the state sales tax. A vote AGAINST will repeal Legislative Bill 662, which would: (1) Eliminate the requirement that public elementary-only school districts merge or affiliate with public school districts containing a high school; (2) Eliminate the requirement that no more than forty-five percent of the total operational costs of the public school system of the State of Nebraska be derived from taxes on real property; and (3) Prevent an increase in the state sales tax to provide increased state financial support to the public schools. | ” |
Path to the ballot
A veto referendum is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that asks voters whether to uphold or repeal an enacted law. This type of ballot measure is also called statute referendum, popular referendum, people's veto, or citizen's veto. There are 23 states that allow citizens to initiate veto referendums.
In Nebraska, the number of signatures required for a veto referendum is equal to 5% of registered voters at the signature deadline for a referendum and 10% of registered voters to suspend the law until the referendum. 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. Signatures for veto referendums are due 90 days following the final adjournment of the legislative session at which the targeted bill was passed. 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.
See also
External links
Footnotes
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State of Nebraska Lincoln (capital) |
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