Dueling abortion petitions heading to November ballot in Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Two dueling abortion petitions in Nebraska will appear on the general election ballot in November.

The Nebraska secretary of state announced Friday that more than 136,000 signatures for both petitions have been certified.

“These two are diametrically opposed, completely in conflict,” Secretary of State Bob Evnen said.

The Protect Women and Children petition seeks to enshrine Nebraska’s 12-week abortion ban in the state’s constitution.

On the other side, the Protect the Right to Abortion initiative would repeal the current ban.

It would allow for abortions in Nebraska until the point when a fetus could survive outside the womb. That’s typically around 23 or 24 weeks.

POLL: Which abortion ballot initiative in Nebraska will you support?

Both petitions needed valid signatures from at least 10% of registered voters and at least 5% of registered voters in 38 counties.

“I applaud our county election offices and election workers who are working hard to process several petitions and meet important election deadlines,” Evnen said in a press release. “Barring any legal challenges, this November general election ballot will host two ballot measures that appear in direct conflict with each other, which could be the first time this has happened in Nebraska’s history.”

Election officials stopped certifying signatures for the petitions after they reached the required thresholds, so it’s not clear how many valid signatures each received.

But organizers had turned in about the same number of signatures for each, with each campaign collecting more than 200,000 signatures.

So what if voters approve both?

Officials said the ballot measure that receives the highest number of “for” votes will prevail at the end of the election.

Evnen said in an interview that there will be a paragraph explaining each initiative on the ballot so voters aren’t confused.

But he also suggests Nebraskans do their own research.

“It’s important for voters, before they go to the voting booth or they fill out their early ballot, to take the time and trouble to inform themselves about these very important issues that they are being called on to decide,” Evnen said.

If you’re in the polling booth and need to do some last-minute research, you are legally allowed to use your phone.

“You can call your lifeline if you want to do it from the voting booth, but that’s not the best place to do it,” Evnen said.

So far, the secretary of state’s office has certified the two abortion petitions and the paid sick leave initiative.

A handful of other initiatives and referendum petitions, including two dealing with medical marijuana, are still in the process of being certified. The state must certify those petitions by Sept. 13.

According to Evnen, there will be hearings in each congressional district for people to learn about all of the issues on the ballot.