Should Nebraska Senators have a political party affiliation?

A constitutional amendment was introduced that would eliminate the requirement to nominate and elect Senators in a nonpartisan manner

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Right now, Nebraska is the only state with a unicameral of Senators who are supposed to be nonpartisan.

Senator Julie Slama is trying to change that by introducing a constitutional amendment where Senators would select a political party. Their party affiliation would be part of their title and show up on the ballot.

“I truly believe that we need to be transparent in everything that we do. This includes being transparent about which political party we are affiliated with, just like 49 other states successfully do, and just like we do with a host of other offices. We owe it to our voters, to be honest about which party we are affiliated with, and they have a right to know,” said Senator Julie Slama.

This constitutional amendment was met with plenty of opposition, including from multiple former senators.

“It’s not the party, it’s you as an individual Senator and your voting as individual Senators. You represent, as Senator Chambers used to say, you represent the entire State of Nebraska,” said Former Senator Galen Hadley.

The one person to testify as a proponent felt it would eliminate confusion at the ballot box, while others feel it would cause a bigger political divide.