The Secretary of State’s Elections Division certified that signature requirements have been met for the Private Education Scholarship partial referendum for the November 5 general election ballot. County election offices completed signature verification within the 40-day period as required in Nebraska Revised Statute § 32-1409.
“As we near the end of this petition season, I want to extend my deep gratitude to the Elections Division and county election offices who have quickly and carefully processed many hundreds of thousands petition signatures,” Secretary of State Bob Evnen said.
The Private Education Scholarship partial referendum was a petition to partially repeal LB1402, a law that the Nebraska Legislature passed during the 2024 legislative session. To qualify for the general election ballot, a referendum petition needs to collect valid signatures from at least 5% of registered voters in Nebraska and valid signatures from at least 5% of registered voters in 38 counties (Neb. Const. Art. III-3).
The Private Education Scholarship partial referendum petition collected more than 68,184 valid signatures from Nebraska voters statewide. Petition organizers collected valid signatures from at least 5% of registered voters in 60 counties.
The Elections Division instructed county election offices to conclude signature verification after the number of valid signatures met the 110% threshold as permitted in Neb. Rev. Stat. § 32-1409. The Nebraska Secretary of State’s office received one affidavit from an individual who requested that their name be removed from the Private Education Scholarship partial referendum petition.
A petition has been filed in the Nebraska Supreme Court regarding the referendum.
“Serious questions have been raised as to whether the statute sought to be repealed is a legislative appropriation,” Secretary Evnen said. “Under the Nebraska Constitution, legislative appropriations might not be able to be repealed by referendum. This question ought to be resolved by the courts.”
Attached to this news release is a copy of language for the ballot measure as approved by the Nebraska Attorney General’s office. Ballot numbers will be decided and announced after all petitions have been processed.
There are now four ballot measures approved so far for the November general election ballot: Paid Sick Leave, Protect the Right to Abortion, Protect Women and Children and Private Education Scholarship partial referendum.
The Nebraska Secretary of State’s office will hold public hearings on these ballot measures in each of Nebraska’s three congressional districts, as well as produce an informational brochure about the ballot measures. The dates and locations of district hearings will be announced at a later date.
County election offices and the State’s Elections Division are still processing the remaining initiative and referendum petitions: Nebraska Medical Cannabis Patient Protection Initiative and Nebraska Medical Cannabis Regulation Initiative.
The Nebraska Secretary of State’s office must certify the November general election ballot by September 13. All petitions will be processed and announced before that date.
