Nebraska Ballot Issues 2024
This guide has been developed by the League of Women Voters of Nebraska – a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) that aims to educate and empower voters. For more information about the candidates on your ballot, visit https://www.vote411.org/ More info can be found at the Secretary of State’s website: https://sos.nebraska.gov/
Text in italics is the official language that will be on the ballot.
Regular text has been developed by the LWVNE to further clarify the questions on the ballot.
Protect Women and Children (#434)
| Official Initiative Language | Shall the Nebraska Constitution be amended to include a new section which provides: “Except when a woman seeks an abortion necessitated by a medical emergency or when the pregnancy results from sexual assault or incest, unborn children shall be protected from abortion in the second and third trimesters.” |
| Description | Amends the Constitution to prohibit abortion after the first trimester (generally considered to be 12 weeks of pregnancy), unless in the case of a “medical emergency” or when the pregnancy resulted from sexual assault or incest |
| For | A vote “FOR” will amend the Nebraska Constitution… | Constitutionally prohibits abortion after the first trimester with exceptions for medical emergencies, sexual assault or incest and allows the Legislature to enact additional regulations |
| Against | A vote “AGAINST” will not amend the Nebraska Constitution… | Keeps current 12-week limit with existing exceptions and allows the Legislature to enact additional regulations |
Private Education Scholarship Partial Referendum (#435)
| Official Initiative Language | Section 1 of Legislative Bill 1402, enacted by the Nebraska Legislature in 2024, provides for $10 million annually to fund education scholarships to pay all or part of the cost to educate eligible students attending nongovernmental, privately operated elementary and secondary schools in Nebraska. Shall Section 1 of Legislative Bill 1402 be repealed? |
| Description | Legislative Bill 1402 provides state funds for K-12 private school scholarships with a starting cost of $10 million/year |
| Retain | A vote to “Retain” will keep the law in effect… | Enacts a state-run publicly funded private school scholarship program with a starting cost of $10 million/year |
| Repeal | A vote to “Repeal” will eliminate funding… | No publicly funded private school scholarships because the $10 million/year program from LB1402 will be repealed and the Opportunity Scholarship Program will have already expired |
Paid Sick Leave (#436)
| Official Initiative Language | Shall a statute be enacted which: (1) provides eligible employees the right to earn paid sick time for personal or family health needs; (2) entitles employees of employers with fewer than 20 employees to accrue and use up to 40 hours of such time annually and those employed by employers with 20 or more employees to accrue and use up to 56 hours of such time annually; (3) specifies conditions regarding paid sick time; (4) prohibits retaliation against employees for exercising such rights; (5) adopts documentation requirements; and (6) establishes enforcement powers and a civil cause of action for violations. |
| Description | Requires Nebraska private (nongovernmental) employers to allow employees to earn a minimum number of paid sick leave hours per year (40 hours for employers with under 20 employees and 56 hours for employers with more than 20 employees) |
| For | A vote “FOR” will enact a statute… | Requires all private employers to allow employees to earn 40-56 hours paid leave |
| Against | A vote “AGAINST” means such a statute will not be enacted | Keeps current situation where employers are not required to provide any paid leave |
Nebraska Medical Cannabis Patient Protection (#437)
| Official Initiative Language | Shall a statute be enacted that makes penalties inapplicable under state and local law for the use, possession, and acquisition of an allowable amount (up to five ounces) of cannabis for medical purposes by a qualified patient with a written recommendation from a health care practitioner, and for a caregiver to assist a qualified patient with these activities? |
| Description | Allows a “qualified patient with written recommendation from a health care practitioner” and a caregiver assisting the patient to buy, possess or use a small amount of cannabis for medical purposes |
| For | A vote “FOR” will enact a statute… | Legalizes small amounts of medical cannabis |
| Against | A vote “AGAINST” means such a statute will not be enacted | Keeps any use of cannabis (medical included) illegal |
Nebraska Medical Cannabis Regulation (#438)
| Official Initiative Language | Shall a statute be enacted that makes penalties inapplicable under state law for the possession, manufacture, distribution, delivery, and dispensing of cannabis for medical purposes by registered private entities, and that establishes a Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission to regulate such activities? |
| Description | Creates the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission to define, regulate possession, manufacturing, distribution, delivery and dispensing of cannabis for medical purposes and protects registered organizations from being penalized |
| For | A vote “FOR” will enact a statute… | Legalizes and regulates medical cannabis industry |
| Against | A vote “AGAINST” means such a statute will not be enacted | Keeps all cannabis (medical included) illegal and therefore unregulated |
Protect the Right to Abortion (#439)
| Official Initiative Language | Shall the Nebraska Constitution be amended to include a new section which provides: “All persons shall have a fundamental right to abortion until fetal viability, or when needed to protect the life or health of the pregnant patient, without interference from the state or its political subdivisions. Fetal viability means the point in pregnancy when, in the professional judgment of the patient’s treating health care practitioner, there is a significant likelihood of the fetus’ sustained survival outside the uterus without the application of extraordinary medical measures.” |
| Description | Creates a constitutional right to abortion based on “fetal viability” (generally considered around 23 weeks of pregnancy) or as a result of fetal medical conditions or to protect the health or life of the pregnant patient, as determined by their health care practitioner |
| For | A vote “FOR” will amend the Nebraska Constitution | Constitutionally allows for abortion based on “viability” as determined by a patient and their health care practitioner and prohibits the Legislature from enacting additional regulations |
| Against | A vote “AGAINST” will not amend the Nebraska Constitution | Keeps current 12-week limit with existing exceptions and allows the Legislature to enact additional regulations |
LWVNE Ballot Summary Handout – Official FInal
Important Dates for the 2024 General Election
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 until 8 p.m. CT/7 p.m. MT. Early ballots due back to county election offices by the close of polls.
