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Signature requirements for ballot measures in Nebraska
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| Laws • History |
| List of measures |
This page provides an overview of signature requirements for statewide citizen-initiated measures in Nebraska. In Nebraska, citizens can initiate constitutional amendments, state statutes, and veto referendums.
Requirements
In Nebraska, the number of required signatures is tied to the number of registered voters in the state as of the deadline for filing signatures. Therefore, petitioners cannot know the number of signatures required until signatures are submitted for verification.
The following are the requirements for the types of citizen-initiated measures in Nebraska:
- initiated constitutional amendment (ICA): 10 percent of registered voters
- initiated state statute (ISS): 7 percent of registered voters
- veto referendum (VR): 5 percent of registered voters for a referendum and 10 percent to suspend the law until voters decide the law's fate
Below are the signature requirements that initiative proponents must meet to get their initiatives certified based on the date signatures were filed:
Note: As signature requirements are based on the number of registered voters upon the signature petition filing deadline, and voter registration fluctuates constantly, the exact number of signatures required to qualify an initiative or referendum cannot be known before the signatures are submitted. The figures below are simply to give an approximation of the signature requirements.
| Date | Registered voters | Amendment | Statute | Referendum without suspension | Referendum with suspension |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 3, 2026 | 1,270,544 | 127,054 | 88,938 | 63,527 | 127,054 |
| July 5, 2024 | 1,234,652 | 123,465 | 86,426 | 61,733 | 123,465 |
| July 1, 2022 | 1,239,599 | 123,960 | 86,772 | 61,980 | 123,960 |
| July 2, 2020 | 1,222,741 | 122,274 | 85,592 | 61,137 | 122,274 |
| October 29, 2018 | 1,219,644 | 121,964 | 85,375 | 60,982 | 121,964 |
| December 2, 2016 | 1,212,965 | 121,297 | 84,908 | 60,649 | 121,297 |
| October 27, 2014 | 1,159,085 | 115,909 | 81,136 | 57,955 | 115,909 |
| October 29, 2012 | 1,164,166 | 116,417 | 81,492 | 58,209 | 116,417 |
| May 4, 2010 | 1,136,173 | 113,618 | 79,533 | 56,809 | 113,618 |
| October 28, 2008 | 1,157,034 | 115,704 | 80,993 | 57,852 | 115,704 |
See law: Nebraska Constitution, Article III, Sections 2 & 3
Changes in number of signatures
The following graph illustrates the number of signatures required for initiated constitutional amendments (10 percent of the gubernatorial vote), initiated state statutes (7 percent of the gubernatorial vote), and veto referendums (5 percent of the gubernatorial vote) from 2008 through 2026.
Distribution requirement
In Nebraska, proponents of initiated amendments and initiated statutes, and veto referendums that do not suspend the targeted law have to collect signatures from 5 percent of the registered voters in each of two-fifths (38) of Nebraska's 93 counties. The requirement for veto referendums that do suspend the targeted law is 10 percent of the registered voters in each of two-fifths (38) of Nebraska's 93 counties.
See law: Nebraska Constitution, Article III, Sections 2 & 3
Signature deadlines
In Nebraska, citizen-initiated ballot measures can appear on general election (even-numbered years) ballots. The deadline for submitting signatures to get an initiative or referendum on the ballot for a particular general election is four months before that election. The deadline for veto referendums is 90 days after the final adjournment of the state legislative session at which the targeted bill was passed.
| Year | Deadline |
|---|---|
| 2026 | July 3, 2026 |
| 2024 | July 5, 2024 |
| 2022 | July 7, 2022 |
| 2020 | July 2, 2020 |
| 2018 | July 6, 2018 |
| 2016 | July 8, 2016 |
| 2014 | July 4, 2014 |
| 2012 | July 6, 2012 |
| 2010 | July 2, 2010 |
Recall
- See also: Laws governing recall in Nebraska
Number of signatures
According to NRS 32.1303, a recall petition has to be "signed by registered voters equal in number to at least thirty-five percent of the total vote cast for that office in the last general election, except that (a) for an office for which more than one candidate is chosen, the petition shall be signed by registered voters equal in number to at least thirty-five percent of the number of votes cast for the person receiving the most votes for such office in the last general election, (b) for a member of a board of a Class I school district, the petition shall be signed by registered voters of the school district equal in number to at least twenty-five percent of the total number of registered voters residing in the district on the date that the recall petitions are first checked out from the filing clerk by the principal circulator, and (c) for a member of a governing body of a village, the petition shall be signed by registered voters equal in number to at least forty-five percent of the total vote cast for the person receiving the most votes for that office in the last general election."
In general, therefore, the number of signatures required to force a recall election is 35 percent of the total vote cast for that office in the last general election, except in these three special cases:
| Type of jurisdiction | Signatures required |
|---|---|
| Multi-member districts | 35 percent of the number of votes cast for the person receiving the most votes for such office in the last general election |
| Class I school district | 25 percent of the number of registered voters residing in the district on the date that the recall petitions are first checked out from the filing clerk by the principal circulator |
| Village governing body | 45 percent of the total vote cast for the person receiving the most votes for that office in the last general election |
Time allowed to collect signatures
According to NRS 32.1305, signatures on the recall petitions have to be submitted to the appropriate filing clerk "within thirty days after the filing clerk issues the initial petition papers to the principal circulator or circulators."
See also
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Nebraska
- Laws governing the initiative process in Nebraska
- Campaign finance requirements for Nebraska ballot measures
- List of Nebraska ballot measures
- Election result resources
- Voter guides
- State Blue Books
External links
- 2010 Election Information
- How to use the Initiative and Referendum Process in Nebraska from the Secretary of State
- NCSL signature chart for 2008
- Nebraska signature requirements collated by the Citizens in Charge Foundation
- Candidate Information Page
- Filing Information
- State Office Information Page
- Election Calendar 2012
- Federal Office Information Page
Footnotes
