Measure comes after legislative session in which lawmakers prodded for changes to weaken or reverse ballot-passed laws
By: Juan Salinas II
Nebraska Examiner
LINCOLN — A group of voting advocates filed a ballot measure to make it harder for Nebraska lawmakers to override or alter voter-passed laws.
The group, Respect Nebraska Voters, announced its push to gather signatures on Thursday. The initiative is a state constitutional amendment that would require bigger majorities to repeal or change any law passed by voters.
The measure also would require larger majorities to make changes to the requirements or processes for a citizen-led initiative to reach the ballot.
Currently the Legislature needs two-thirds of lawmakers, or 33 senators, to vote to make those kinds of changes. The ballot measure would increase the required vote to four-fifths, or 40 senators.
Dawn Essink, a sponsor of the new ballot measure, said what prompted the proposed constitutional amendment is seeing the “anger from a lot of Nebraskans who had worked very hard on that paid sick leave initiative, among other initiatives.”
The new push comes after this year’s legislative session, in which the officially nonpartisan but Republican-led Nebraska Legislature, often with gubernatorial support and the support of at least one Democrat, prodded for changes that would have weakened or reversed some ballot measures.
Essink said the ballot initiative process was designed so that the voice of Nebraska voters is heard, but lawmakers are disrespecting voters.
“The Legislature is taking that vote and watering it down … diluting it … call it whatever you want, but they’re changing it to their will, not the will of the people,” Essink said.
For example, advocates said, the state is currently slowrolling two voter-approved laws legalizing and regulating medical cannabis. Nebraska’s GOP lawmakers and Democratic State Sen. Jane Raybold of Lincoln successfully pushed to weaken the voter-approved law’s blanket requirements for paid sick leave by adding new restrictions and exceptions. Legislative majorities tried — and failed for now — to slow down voter-approved minimum wage increases. That proposal is already scheduled to be reconsidered in the upcoming session.
Some conservative lawmakers have considered making the petition process harder because of the recent passage of more progressive measures have been passed in recent years.
Jo Giles, executive director of the Women’s Fund of Omaha and a ballot measure sponsor, said the group wants to add “protections for the ballot initiative” and hopes Gov. Jim Pillen and conservative lawmakers support it.
The ballot initiative process “is direct democracy,” she said. “It is letting Nebraskans vote for issues that come up, and we want them to respect the will of the people,” Giles said.
The group organizing the new petition drive would need to gather the signatures of 10 percent of the state’s registered voters since the initiative seeks to change the state constitution.
Respect Nebraska Voters has until July to get on the November 2026 ballot.