On Nov. 20, Respect Nebraska Voters – a coalition of nonprofits and advocacy groups – filed a ballot measure to make it harder for the state Legislature to change or override voter-passed law. The League of Women Voters of Nebraska state board voted to join the coalition the first week of December.

The Respect Nebraska Voters coalition is led by Nebraska Appleseed, Heartland Workers Center and Voices for Children, among others. In response to the recent efforts by the Nebraska Legislature to roll back laws passed through the ballot initiative and referendum process, the proposed ballot measure will increase the threshold needed for state lawmakers to change these laws.

It proposes to increase the number of votes needed to change/undo voter-passed laws from the current two-thirds to four-fifths of the 49 members of the Legislature. The exact number of votes depends on the circumstances, but would usually mean 39 votes instead of the 33 currently needed.

The LWVNE’s involvement in the coalition is based on the Statement of Position on Voter Representation/Electoral Systems as adopted by the concurrence at the 54th Convention of the national League of Women Voters in June 2020 that states:

“LWVUS promotes an open governmental system that is representative, accountable, and responsive. We encourage electoral methods that provide the broadest voter representation possible and are expressive of voter choices” (p. 57, Impact on Issues: A Guide to Public Policy Positions of the League of Women Voters, 2024-2026).

Specifically, the Respect Nebraska Voters ballot initiative aligns with the League’s position on accountability and voter choice. By increasing the number of senators needed to change statutes passed by the public, this policy makes it harder for a handful of individual legislators — some of whom may not be immediately and directly accountable for such actions — to undo the work of the people.

For more information, you can sign-up for email updates from Respect Nebraska Voters, follow @RespectNEVoters on Facebook and Instagram, or sign-up to volunteer.