Starting today, Lincoln voters may see additional signature collectors circulating around the communities. Before signing any petition, voters should understand the short- and long-term consequences of what it would change.
Three charter amendment petitions have been launched that would change when Lincoln voters cast ballots, who can vote in city elections and how long City Council members can serve.
Here’s what you may see:
Election Cycle Change
- Changes Lincoln municipal elections to align with statewide election cycles starting in 2028
- City officials elected in 2027, such as mayor and city council members, would be required to run for re-election again in 2028, with that one year period counting as one full term.
- This could, for example, force Lincoln’s current mayor to be term-limited in 2028, rather than 2031.
While Civic Nebraska supports the idea of aligning municipal elections with statewide elections, we do not support this proposed timeline. We would support a policy change that creates a longer runway and allows current elected officials and candidates to serve under the original, voter-approved timelines that were in effect when they first took office. Good governance cannot be used to disguise nefarious, partisan motivated policy changes.
City Council Term Limits
- Institutes term limits for city council members at two consecutive four year terms
- Council member terms beginning before 2027 would not count toward the proposed term limits
Should both term limits and election cycle changes pass
- At large city council members that were elected in 2025 would serve until 2030
- Eligible to run again in 2030 and 2034, term limited in 2038
- District city council members elected in 2027 would need to run again in 2028
- Should these council members win both elections, they would be term limited in 2032
- At large city council members that were elected in 2025 would serve until 2030
Civic Nebraska historically does not support term limits for locally elected officials. Due to the nature of policy change as it relates to municipal laws, it is important that elected officials are able to retain the historical knowledge needed to serve their constituents well. Mandatory term limits can restart the learning curve by removing public officials based only on how long they have served, not how well they have served.
Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) Voting
- Allows individuals living up to 3 miles outside of Lincoln city limits, commonly referred to as the Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ), to vote in city elections, except for school bonds.
- These individuals are currently subject to city zoning restrictions and laws, and thus have representation on zoning
- However, they do not pay city taxes, including property taxes, so extending voting to these residents would be representations without taxation.
We appreciate the role that petition initiatives play in our democracy; the petition process exists for everyday Nebraskans to directly involve themselves in the process of policymaking. However, petitions that are hijacked by partisan actors in order to change the political landscape are not representative of good governance.