Since the 109th session of the Nebraska Legislature convened on Jan. 8, League of Women Voters of Nebraska officers, directors and members of action teams have submitted online and in-person testimony on proposed rules changes, four legislative bills and four legislative resolutions/constitutional amendments through Jan. 31.
The LWVNE sent online opposition to three proposed rules changes – replacing the secret ballot to select committee chairs with a roll call vote, closing executive sessions to the general public and news media, and eliminating consideration of party affiliations in the redistricting process. None of these proposed changes were advanced by the Rules Committee to the full Legislature.
Since committee hearings of proposed legislative bills and legislative resolutions/constitutional amendments began on Jan. 22, the LWVNE has submitted five letters through the Legislature’s online platform to support LB99, LB163, LB36, LR5CA and LR6CA as well as in-person testimony by Sheri St Clair, co-director of government for the LWVNE, opposing two proposals – LB3 and LR24CA – to change the way that Nebraska allocates its presidential electors.
You can find the LWVNE’s online and in-person testimony on our 2025 Advocacy Summary table, which will be updated weekly through the committee hearings, here and on our Legislative Advocacy 2025 link at the top of the LWVNE website. Here is the summary of the LWVNE’s support or opposition to proposed legislation through Jan. 31:
- LB99 (support) – Limit use of restrictive housing and solitary confinement
- LB36 (support) – Provide for notification of certain regulations and permits to controlling entities by counties, cities and villages under the Wellhead Protection Area Act
- LB163 (support) – A bill for an act relating to the environment; to create the Office of Climate Action; to provide duties and deadlines; and to define a term
- LB3 (oppose) – Change provisions relating to selection of presidential electors
- LR24CA (oppose) – Constitutional amendment to provide for selection of presidential electors
- LR5CA (support) – Constitutional amendment to eliminate provisions relating to marriage and marriage licenses
- LR6CA (support) – Constitutional amendment to recognize marriage of couples regardless of gender and race and strike language regarding gender
On Jan. 30, St Clair was among the 66 of 76 speakers who testified at a public hearing before the Legislature’s Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee to oppose LB3 and LR24CA to replace the state’s 33-year-old congressional district system of awarding presidential elector votes with a winner-take-all model. The hearing lasted more than five hours. Written comments were similarly lopsided, according to a Jan. 31 article in the Omaha World Herald, with 1,369 opposing and 414 supporting LB3 and 728 opposing and 172 supporting LR24CA.
When compared with the winner-take-all system, Nebraska’s current method of awarding 3 of its 5 presidential electoral votes to the popular vote winner in each of its congressional districts and 2 to the state’s popular vote winner – used since 1992 – “has better reflected the will of our people and should continue to do so,” St Clair said.
“Nebraska’s method of allocating Electoral College votes recognizes that our congressional districts differ in not only partisan makeup, but also in racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and other demographic composition,” St Clair said. “Nebraska’s congressional district method consistently results in a better balance of local representation and national unity, offering a middle ground between winner-take-all and direct popular vote.”
Photo courtesy of Tom Becka published in the Jan. 31, 2025, Nebraska Examiner