Nebraskans Overwhelmingly Disapprove of State Legislature Lengthening Their Terms In Office

    LINCOLN, NE, February 23, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Seventy percent of Nebraskans oppose current legislation in the Nebraska Unicameral that would change Nebraska's term limits law according to a voter survey conducted by RMG research for the Liberty Initiative Fund. Conducted January 18-19, 2023, the poll showed strong opposition to the proposed legislation from respondents of all political persuasions.

Seventy-one percent of respondents felt that the legislation, which would weaken Nebraska's term limit law, was being proposed to benefit state legislators and not to benefit the people of Nebraska.

"Voters are sending a clear message to the Nebraska legislature that they oppose any tampering with Nebraska's term limits laws," said Paul Jacob with the Liberty Initiative Fund. "Nebraskans see this for what it is, an attempt by politicians to stay in office longer and ignore the will of the people."

In 2000, Nebraskans overwhelmingly voted for term limits for the state legislature. The law enacted by voters allows state senators to serve two terms (8 years). Then in 2012, legislators placed a measure on the ballot to lengthen how long they could stay in office and voted defeated it by nearly a 2 to 1 margin.

This year, State Senator Ron Dover proposed LR22CA that that would lengthen the terms of Nebraska state senators to three terms (12 years). This legislation would undermine and gut Nebraska's term limits. Supporters of the legislation openly admitted that they would not ask voters to repeal term limits outright as they know such an attempt would be defeated so they are attempting to go behind the voters' backs and lengthen their terms legislatively.

"Nebraska legislators should go back to work for the people," Jacob stated. "This idea of undermining term limits came directly from the lobbyists in Lincoln."

The poll showed that 52% of respondents would be less likely to vote for a legislator who voted to lengthen their time in office. Nebraskans of all political persuasions responded that way which demonstrates that the political price legislators would pay would be steep.

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