Respect Nebraska Voters seeking legal action after Secretary of State denies initiative from appearing on ballot

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen announced today the decision to not place the Protect Nebraskans’ Initiative and Referendum Powers Constitutional Amendment on the November ballot.

The decision follows an objection last week by Senator Machaela Cavanaugh and former Senator Curt Friesen.

Evnen’s refusal states the reasoning is because the initiative is not limited to a single subject.

According to the Secretary of State’s office, the initiative is expected to reach the 110% threshold that would be required by Nebraska law.

Respect Nebraska Voters, the organizers of the initiative, said the language was chosen carefully.

“Respect Nebraska Voters strongly disagrees with Secretary of State Evnen’s decision to withhold this initiative from the ballot. The initiative language was carefully drafted and thoroughly reviewed to conform to single subject constitutional requirements and precedent,” Respect Nebraska Voters said. “In light of the Secretary of State’s flawed reasoning that led to this determination, Respect Nebraska Voters will challenge his ruling in court, and we are confident that this initiative will ultimately be placed on the November 2026 ballot.”