Lincoln voters face five city ballot questions ahead of November election

Civic Nebraska breaks down proposed changes to city elections, term limits and voting eligibility

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — With Election Day just two weeks away, Lincoln voters will decide on five proposed amendments to the City Charter that could change how future city elections are conducted.

Questions 2 through 6 on the November 3 ballot address when city elections are held, how long City Council members can serve and who is eligible to vote.

“These five amendments are going to change elections in some way if any of them pass,” said Tanner Cano, communications manager at Civic Nebraska. “The passage of any of these would change how city elections are conducted in Lincoln.”

Changes to city election dates

Questions 2 and 3 would move Lincoln’s city elections from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years, aligning them with statewide elections.

The difference is when those changes would begin.

Question 2 would move city elections to 2028, while Question 3 would move them to 2030.

Cano said Lincoln would still hold its scheduled citywide election in spring 2027 under either proposal. The next election would then take place in either 2028 or 2030, depending on which amendment passes.

City Council term limits

Questions 4 and 5 would establish consecutive term limits for Lincoln City Council members.

Question 4 would limit members to two consecutive four-year terms, or eight years. Question 5 would allow three consecutive four-year terms, or 12 years.

“Two consecutive terms would allow city council members to be in office for up to a total of eight years, and then three consecutive terms would let them be in office for a total of up to 12 years, all consecutively,” Cano said.

The term limits would begin applying to those elected in 2027.

Expanding voting eligibility

Question 6 would allow eligible residents living outside Lincoln city limits, within the city’s three-mile extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction, to vote in city elections, excluding city bond elections.

What happens if competing amendments pass?

Because Questions 2 and 3 address the same issue, as do Questions 4 and 5, voters may be wondering what happens if both proposals in either pair receive enough support.

Cano said if both competing amendments receive more than 50% approval, the proposal with the higher vote total would take effect.

Voters can also vote for or against each amendment independently, meaning they are not required to choose only one proposal from each pair.

Preparing for Election Day

With 10 state and local ballot questions facing Lincoln voters this November, Cano encourages residents to review their ballots before heading to the polls.

“Well beforehand I would tell them to look at the ballot ahead of time. I think that that’s extremely important,” Cano said. “Lincoln voters are going to, between statewide and citywide amendments, they’re going to have 10 ballot initiatives or amendments on their ballot, so it’s a lot.”

Civic Nebraska offers an online Ballot Builder that allows voters to review their ballots, research candidates and ballot questions, and make selections ahead of time.

The organization has also partnered with the Flatwater Free Press to provide a nonpartisan voter guide covering races and ballot measures across Nebraska.

Several important election deadlines are approaching.

Friday, Oct. 23, is the deadline to register to vote in person at a county election office and to request a mailed early voting ballot. Both deadlines are at 6 p.m.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.