In addition to candidates for local, county, state and federal office, Nebraska voters will have six citizen-led initiatives or referendums on their general election ballots this fall.

“To help folks understand the six statewide items on the ballot this fall, the League of Women Voters of Nebraska has put together a resource that translates what each would do into plain language and minimizes partisan spin,” said Rachel Gibson, action vice president for the LWVNE.

The Nebraska ballot issues guide is available in English at this link. It is available in Spanish at this link.

The initiatives and referendum on the ballot for the Nov. 5 election are two competing initiatives to amend the state Constitution on abortion rights, the Protect the Right to Abortion constitutional amendment and the Protect Women and Children constitutional amendment; a partial referendum on private school scholarships; an initiative to provide paid sick leave; and two initiatives to provide and regulate medical cannabis.

“Nebraska is one of 26 states where the people have the power to bring initiatives or referendums directly to the ballot, and boy have we made good use of this opportunity,” said Gibson, who led the creation of the ballot issues guide for the 2024 election. 

Initiatives add or change a law or amend the state Constitution, she explained, whereas referendums repeal a law recently passed by the state Legislature.

“In recent years, the people of Nebraska have passed raising the minimum wage, requiring voter photo ID, legalizing horse race gambling and expanding Medicaid coverage,” she said. “Ballot questions can have enormous impacts on our state and this year is no different.”

Feel free to share the LWVNE ballot issues guide with friends, family and organizations in your communities.

“Nebraskans have a gift that not all Americans have – the ability to exercise direct democracy,” Gibson said. “It is our responsibility to take advantage of that gift by helping others feel educated and empowered to make our state what we want it to be.”

Here are important dates for the 2024 general election in Nebraska:

Sept. 30 – County election offices begin mailing out early voting ballots to voters who properly completed and submitted early voting applications.

Oct. 7 – First day for early voting at county election offices.

Oct.18 – Deadline to register to vote online (by midnight), by mail (postmarked by Oct. 18), at a state agency (DMV, DHHS, Department of Education), via deputy registrar or via personal agent.

Oct. 25 – Deadline to register to vote at county election offices (by 6 p.m. local time).

Oct. 25 – Deadline to request an early voting application be mailed.

Nov. 4 – Last day to vote early at a county election office.

Nov. 5 – Election Day. Polls open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. MT. Early ballots due back to county election offices by the close of polls.