Rules governing school board election dates and timing in Nebraska
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| Nebraska overview: • Election dates: Mostly on-cycle |
| Key policies: • Election dates and timing • Party labels on the ballot |
| Key terms • On-cycle elections • Off-cycle elections • Off-year elections • Off-date elections • Party labels • Partisan elections • Nonpartisan elections |
In most Nebraska school districts, school board primary elections are held on the first Tuesday after the second Monday in May in even-numbered years.
In most Nebraska school districts, school board general elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November during even-numbered years.
School board primary elections in Class IV districts in Nebraska are held on the same date as the primary election date of the city served by the district according to state law. As of 2023, Lincoln Public Schools was the only Class IV district in Nebraska and held primary elections four weeks before the May general election in odd-numbered years.
School board general elections in Class IV districts in Nebraska are held on the same date as the general election date of the city served by the district according to state law. As of 2023, Lincoln Public Schools was the only Class IV district in Nebraska and held general elections on the first Tuesday in May in odd-numbered years.
The nominating caucus in Class III districts must occur within 70 days before the general election, which means the earliest date a nominating caucus can be held is in late August.
General elections in Class III school districts that hold nominating caucuses are held on the first Tuesday after the second Monday in May during even numbered years.
See law: Nebraska Statute Section 32-543
and Nebraska Statute Section 32-544
and Nebraska Statute Section 32-552
Across the country, there are 13,024 public school districts governed by a total of about 82,600 board members. Most school board members are elected directly by voters, while a small number of districts have appointed school board members or a combination of appointed and elected school board members.
The timing of elections for school board members varies widely across states and even across districts in the same state in some cases. In 14 states, most school board elections are held on-cycle with federal elections in November of even-numbered years. Most school board elections in the other states are held off-cycle. This includes off-date elections—for example, elections held in the spring or summer—and off-year elections held in odd-numbered years.
On-cycle local elections have higher voter turnout than off-cycle local elections.
The information in this page was last updated in 2023. Please email editor@ballotpedia.org with any updates, corrections, exceptions, or improvements.
How does Nebraska compare to other states?
Across the country, there are 13,187 public school districts governed by a total of 83,183 school board members. They are elected directly by voters except for a small handful of exceptions who are appointed.
The analysis below is based on state laws governing school board elections and some researched common practices. In some states, the state law mandates a specific date. In others, the laws allow districts to choose their own election date from a range or a list of allowed dates or through charter provisions.
- 25 states have school board elections that are mostly held off cycle from federal elections. This includes both off-year and off-date elections.
- 10 of those states have school board elections that are mostly or at least commonly held on election dates in November of odd-numbered years.
- 16 of those states have school board elections mostly or at least commonly held on election dates that are not in November.
- 14 states have school board elections that are mostly held on cycle with federal elections in November of even-numbered years.
- 9 states either do not have state laws or overwhelmingly common practices that determine a specific school board election date or have varying school board election dates.
- Hawaii has a single, appointed school board.
See also
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School board election rules: |
School board election coverage: |
Terms and context: |
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Footnotes
- ↑ Note: Class III school districts can opt to use nominating caucuses instead of nonpartisan primaries. As of 2023, one district used causes and the others used primaries.
