In the midst of COVID-19, the League of Women Voters of Nebraska (LWVNE) has:
- Expanded voter education to all 93 counties in Nebraska through Vote411.org
- Promoted vote-by-mail (early voting) for Nebraska’s May 12 primary election — which resulted in a RECORD voter turnout!
- Initiated People Powered Fair Maps in Nebraska to produce maps that are non-partisan, fair and truly representative of the population of each district.
With People Powered Fair Maps, the LWVNE has advocated for district boundaries that put our communities, and not the needs of politicians, first. The LWVNE supported legislation intended to create a process with more safeguards to prevent partisan manipulation of voting district lines. In the 2020 legislative session, Sen. John McCollister’s bill, LB1207, included more citizen input and review, but never made it to the floor for debate.
With the support of the national League of Women Voters’ People Powered Fair Maps, the LWVNE launched a new website to give Nebraskans the tools for understanding redistricting and real-life examples of gerrymandering in Nebraska’s legislative history. Visit fairmapsne.org — a resource for students, teachers, voters and community groups — to find a PowerPoint course and quiz on redistricting, news articles, and links to informative websites on redistricting and gerrymandering. Please share the site with your contacts on social media!
In March 2020, the LWVNE joined forces with Nebraskans for Independent Redistricting, a coalition of organizations, to initiate a ballot petition that would amend Nebraska’s constitution to create an Independent Commission responsible for redrawing district lines. 130,000 face-to-face signatures must be gathered from 52 counties and submitted to the Secretary of State by July 2 so the initiative can appear on the ballot for the Nov. 3 general election. Empower voters, defend democracy and add your signature when you see the petition bearers.
Sincerely,
Carol Dennison, Kate High, Sherry Miller & Sheri St. Clair
LWVNE Fair Maps Committee
