The Secretary of State’s Elections Division certified the Paid Sick Leave initiative petition 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.
“I appreciate our county election officials carefully reviewing and verifying the submitted signatures in a timely manner,” Secretary of State Bob Evnen said. “I have reviewed the initiative, and it is in compliance with the law.”
An initiative petition seeking to enact a new law needs to collect valid signatures from at least 7% of registered voters in Nebraska and valid signatures from at least 5% of registered voters in 38 counties.
The Paid Sick Leave petition collected more than 97,557 valid signatures from Nebraska voters statewide. 86,499 valid signatures were needed to meet the 7% requirement. Petition organizers collected valid signatures from at least 5% of registered voters in 47 counties. The Elections Division instructed county election offices to conclude signature verification after the number of valid signatures met the 110% threshold as outlined in Neb. Rev. Stat. § 32-1409. The Secretary of State’s office received 3 name-removal affidavits from individuals requesting that their names be removed from the petition.
Attached to this news release is the ballot measure language as approved by the Nebraska Attorney General’s office. Ballot measure numbers will be decided and announced after all petitions are certified.
The Nebraska Secretary of State’s office will hold public hearings on this ballot measure – and others that qualify for the general election ballot – in each of Nebraska’s three congressional districts, as well as produce an informational pamphlet about the ballot measure. 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: Protect the Right to Abortion Constitutional Amendment, Protect Women and Children Constitutional Amendment, Nebraska Medical Cannabis Patient Protection Initiative, Nebraska Medical Cannabis Regulation Initiative and the Private Education Scholarship Partial Referendum.
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.