§ 32-813 — Statewide general election; ballot; contents

(1) The names of all candidates and all proposals to be voted upon at the general election shall be arranged upon the ballot in parts separated from each other by bold lines in the order the offices and proposals are set forth in this section. If any office is not subject to the upcoming election, the office shall be omitted from the ballot and the remaining offices shall move up so that the same relative order is preserved. The order of any offices may be altered to allow for the best utilization of ballot space in order to avoid printing a second ballot when one ballot would be sufficient if an optical-scan ballot is used. All proposals on the ballot submitted by a political subdivision shall follow all offices on the ballot submitted by a political subdivision.
(2)(a) If the election is in a year in which a President of the United States is to be elected, the names and spaces for voting for candidates for President and Vice President shall be entitled Presidential Ticket in boldface type.
(b) The names of candidates for President and Vice President for each political party shall be grouped together, and each group shall be enclosed with brackets with the political party name next to the brackets and one square or oval opposite the names in which the voter indicates his or her choice.
(c) The names of candidates for President and Vice President who have successfully petitioned on the ballot for the general election shall be grouped together with the candidates appearing on the same petition being grouped together, and each group shall be enclosed with brackets with the words "By Petition" next to the brackets and one square or oval opposite the names in which the voter indicates his or her choice.
(d) Beneath the names of the candidates for President and Vice President certified by the officers of the national political party conventions pursuant to section 32-712 and beneath the names of all candidates for President and Vice President placed on the general election ballot by petition, two write-in lines shall be provided in which the voter may fill in the names of the candidates of his or her choice. The lines shall be enclosed with brackets with one square or oval opposite the names in which the voter indicates his or her choice. The name appearing on the top line shall be considered to be the candidate for President, and the name appearing on the second line shall be considered to be the candidate for Vice President.
(3) The names and spaces for voting for candidates for United States Senator if any are to be elected shall be entitled United States Senatorial Ticket in boldface type.
(4) The names and spaces for voting for candidates for Representatives in Congress shall be entitled Congressional Ticket in boldface type. Above the candidates' names, the office shall be designated For Representative in Congress ...... District.
(5) The names and spaces for voting for candidates for the various state officers shall be entitled State Ticket in boldface type. Each set of candidates shall be separated by lines across the column, and above each set of candidates shall be designated the office for which they are candidates, arranged in the order prescribed by the Secretary of State. The candidates for Governor of each political party receiving the highest number of votes in the primary election shall be grouped together with their respective candidates for Lieutenant Governor. Each group shall be enclosed with brackets with the political party name next to the brackets and one square or oval opposite the names in which the voter indicates his or her choice for Governor and Lieutenant Governor jointly. The candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor who have successfully petitioned on the general election ballot shall be grouped together with the candidates appearing on the same petition being grouped together. Each group shall be enclosed with brackets with the words "By Petition" next to the brackets and one square or oval opposite the names in which the voter indicates his or her choice for Governor and Lieutenant Governor jointly. Beneath the names of the candidates for Governor nominated at a primary election by political party and their respective candidates for Lieutenant Governor and beneath the names of all candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor placed on the general election ballot by petition, one write-in line shall be provided in which the registered voter may fill in the name of the candidate for Governor of his or her choice and one square or oval opposite the line in which the voter indicates his or her choice for Governor.
(6) The names and spaces for voting for nonpartisan candidates shall be entitled Nonpartisan Ticket in boldface type. The names of all nonpartisan candidates shall appear in the order listed in this subsection, except that when using an optical-scan ballot, the order of offices may be altered to allow for the best utilization of ballot space to avoid printing a second ballot when one ballot would be sufficient:
(a) Legislature;
(b) State Board of Education;
(c) Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska;
(d) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court;
(e) Judge of the Supreme Court;
(f) Judge of the Court of Appeals;
(g) Judge of the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court;
(h) Judge of the District Court;
(i) Judge of the Separate Juvenile Court;
(j) Judge of the County Court; and
(k) County officers in the order prescribed by the election commissioner or county clerk.
(7) The names and spaces for voting for the various county offices and for measures submitted to the county vote only or in only a part of the county shall be entitled County Ticket in boldface type. If the election commissioner or county clerk deems it advisable, the measures may be submitted on a separate ballot if using a paper ballot or on either side of an optical-scan ballot if the ballot is placed in a ballot envelope or sleeve before being deposited in a ballot box.
(8) The candidates for office in the precinct only or in the city or village only shall be printed on the ballot, except that if the election commissioner or county clerk deems it advisable, candidates for these offices may be submitted on a separate ballot if using a paper ballot or on either side of an optical-scan ballot if the ballot is placed in a ballot envelope or sleeve before being deposited in a ballot box.
(9) All proposals submitted by initiative or referendum and proposals for constitutional amendments shall be placed on a separate ballot when a paper ballot is used which requires that the ballot after being voted be folded before being deposited in a ballot box. When an optical-scan ballot is used which requires a ballot envelope or sleeve in which the ballot after being voted is placed before being deposited in a ballot box, initiative or referendum proposals and proposals for constitutional amendments may be placed on either side of the ballot, shall be separated by a bold line, and shall follow all other offices placed on the same side of the ballot. Initiative or referendum proposals and constitutional amendments so arranged shall constitute a separate ballot. Proposals for constitutional amendments proposed by the Legislature shall be placed on the ballot as provided in sections 49-201 to 49-211 .

Legislative History

Source: Laws 1994, LB 76, § 234; Laws 1999, LB 571, § 5; Laws 2001, LB 252, § 1; Laws 2001, LB 768, § 5; Laws 2003, LB 358, § 13; Laws 2015, LB575, § 19.