From the Lincoln Journal Star Editorial Board:
Thanks to a late addition to a far-reaching elections bill, nonpartisan candidates seeking election to statewide offices in Nebraska now face the hardest road in the country to appear on the ballot.
Hopefuls must now obtain signatures from 10 percent of the state’s registered voters – roughly 119,000 people – to appear on the ballot as an independent candidate, up from 4,000. Six percent of all Nebraskans must sign off on any potential independent candidacy for statewide offices such as governor and United States senator.
This change is simply bad business for Nebraska elections – and the idea of a government of the people, by the people, for the people. The last thing democracy needs is a chilling effect on the ultimate form of political participation: running for office.