Evnen Certifies November Ballot, Medical Cannabis Petition Measures
LINCOLN—(News Release Sept. 13)—Secretary of State Bob Evnen certified the final list of candidates for office and ballot measures for the November general election ballot.
“County election offices and our Elections Division have put in exemplary work to ensure that all candidates were appropriately filed and that all petitions were verified and certified in time,” Secretary Evnen said.
The 2024 general election ballot will include six initiative and referendum ballot measures. Ballot numbers were selected by random drawing for each measure, beginning with #434.
- #434 Protect Women and Children
- #435 Private Education Scholarship Partial Referendum
- #436 Paid Sick Leave
- #437 Nebraska Medical Cannabis Patient Protection
- #438 Nebraska Medical Cannabis Regulation
- #439 Protect the Right to Abortion
As required by state law, the Secretary of State will host hearings on the ballot measures in each of the three congressional districts. The hearings will be scheduled in October with more detailed event information to come. The Elections Division will create an informational pamphlet to be distributed at the hearings and made available at county election offices.
The Secretary of State’s Elections Division certified that signature requirements have been met for the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Patient Protection initiative petition and theNebraska Medical Cannabis Regulation 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.
“An investigation conducted by the Attorney General’s office has uncovered serious question about the signature gathering process for these petitions, and we have been advised that a signature collector is being charged with felony fraud,” Secretary of State Bob Evnen said. “Signatures that cannot be verified by county election workers are not included in the overall signature count. I am certifying the petitions because, at this point, they appear to have met the threshold signature requirements. That could change in light of the Attorney General’s investigation. Both cannabis petitions will appear on the ballot, but a court could order later that the initiatives be thrown out.”
Both petitions, Nebraska Medical Cannabis Patient Protection and Nebraska Medical Cannabis Regulation, were petitions to enact new laws. 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 (Neb. Const. Art. III-2).
The Nebraska Medical Cannabis Patient Protection initiative petition collected 89,962valid signatures from Nebraska voters statewide. Petition organizers collected valid signatures from at least 5% of registered voters in 52 counties.
The Nebraska Medical Cannabis Regulation initiative petition collected 89,856 valid signatures from Nebraska voters statewide. Petition organizers collected valid signatures from at least 5% of registered voters in 52 counties.
The Nebraska Secretary of State’s office did not receive any affidavits from individuals requesting that their names be removed from either petition.
What’s next?
September 30 – County election offices begin mailing out early voting ballots to voters who properly completed and submitted early voting applications.
October 7 – First day for early voting at county election offices.
October 18 – Deadline to register to vote online (by midnight), by mail (postmarked by Oct. 18), at a state agency (DMV, DHHS, Dept. of Ed.), via deputy registrar or via personal agent.
October 25 – Deadline to register to vote at county election offices (by 6pm local time).
October 25 – Deadline to request an early voting application be mailed.
November 4 – Last day to vote early at a county election office.
November 5 – Election Day. Polls open until 8pm CT/7pm MT. Early ballots due back to county election offices by the close of polls.
