Nebraska’s state constitutional officers officially certified the November 2024 general election, which includes the formal approval of five ballot measures, on Dec. 2. In the photo, by Zach Wendling of the Nebraska Examiner, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen signs off on the 2024 general election results.
Secretary of State Rober Evnen, whose office oversees and administers Nebraska elections, celebrated the “exemplary work” of election officials and voters, who completed the first general election with a required voter photo ID.
An analysis of the certified results by Dianne Bystrom, communications director of the League of Women Voters of Nebraska, shows that:
Republican Donald Trump won the vote of 59% of Nebraskans casting ballots for president of the United States and four of its five presidential elector votes with one presidential elector vote from Congressional District 2 awarded to Democrat Kamala Harris. Harris won 51% of the votes in Congressional District 2, which includes much of Omaha. Nebraska is one of two states that awards votes for the Electoral College by congressional district instead of winner-take-all.
For the U.S. Senate, Nebraska voters re-elected Deb Fischer for another six-year term with 53% of the vote and elected Pete Ricketts for a two-year term extending his appointment to the office with 63% of the vote. Both are Republicans.
For the U.S. Congress, Nebraska voters re-elected Mike Flood in Congressional District 1 with 60% of the vote, Don Bacon in Congressional District 2 with 51% of the vote, and Adrian Smith in Congressional District 3 with 80% of the vote. All are Republicans re-elected to a two-year term.
Although Nebraska’s unicameral state Legislature is officially non-partisan, most senators are affiliated with a political party. In 2025, as a result of the 2024 election, 33 of the 49 state senators are affiliated with the Republican Party. You can read more about the 2025 Unicameral in this story by Nebraska Public Media.
According to a Dec. 2 article in the Nebraska Examiner, the official certification ushers in new state laws and a new constitutional amendment with the official proclamations by Governor Pillen:
Initiative Measure 434 – An amendment to the Nebraska Constitution to officially prohibit most abortions after the first trimester (about 12 weeks gestational age) with exceptions for medical emergency, sexual assault or incest.
Referendum Measure 435 – The repeal of Legislative Bill 1402, a state law passed in spring 2024 to appropriate $10 million for “education scholarships” to private schools. Roughly $50,000 in administrative costs and $30,000 in scholarship funds had not been distributed and will return to the state budget after June 30, 2025. The LWVNE was part of the coalition supporting 435.
Initiative Measure 437 – A new state law to allow Nebraskans to legally possess up to 5 ounces of medical cannabis, so long as they have a written recommendation from their health care practitioner (valid for two years, or another specified time frame).
Initiative Measure 438 – A new state law to regulate medical cannabis with a new Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission, which must establish criteria to license “registered cannabis establishments” by July 1, 2025, and begin granting registrations by Oct. 1, 2025. Commission members will be the three members of the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission. The governor will have the option of appointing two more members.
One ballot measure has a delayed implementation date of Oct. 1, 2025:
Initiative Measure 436 – A new state law to offer a minimum level of paid sick leave for workers, up to 40 hours for small businesses and 56 hours in businesses with 20 or more weekly employees.
Initiative Measure 439, an abortion-rights constitutional amendment regarding a “right to abortion” until fetal viability, failed to pass. The LWVNE was part of the coalition supporting 439.
Nebraska’s certified 2024 election results are available here.