Nebraska: Civic Engagement, Political Engagement and the State of the State

Overview

Read on for some statistics and insights about the level of civic engagement, political engagement and a “state of the state” overview of Nebraska.

Civic and Political Engagement

According to the Corporation for National and Community Service for 2018:

40.2% of residents volunteer, ranking them 6th among the 50 states and Washington, DC.
589,714 volunteers
53.8 million hours of service
$1.2 billion worth of service contributed

Looking at political engagement specifically, according to this 2018 Wallethub.com study, Nebraska ranks #13 based on a weighted average across the following metrics:

Percentage of Registered Voters in the 2016 Presidential Election
Percentage of Electorate Who Actually Voted in the 2014 Midterm Elections
Percentage of Electorate Who Actually Voted in the 2016 Presidential Election
Change in Percentage of Electorate Who Actually Voted in the 2016 Elections Compared with the 2012 Elections
Total Political Contributions per Adult Population
Civic Education Engagement, CIRCLE
Voter Accessibility Policies, Ballotpedia

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Center for Responsive Politics, Ballotpedia and Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, CIRCLE.

Women in Nebraska Politics

As of 2018, there are 13 nonpartisan women legislators in Nebraska’s unicameral senate – for a total of 13 out of 49 seats. This equals 26.5% of the legislature (Source: NCSL).

See how many women serve in Nebraska’s executive offices here and the governor’s cabinet here.

Nebraska ranks 27th in women’s equality – based on workplace environment (pay, unemployment and entrepreneurship rate disparity), education environment (education levels and math and reading scores), and political empowerment (disparity in elected offices) (Source: Wallethub).

What color is Nebraska?

Nebraska is also one of two states (the other is Maine) that doesn’t use the “all-or-nothing approach” to awarding electoral votes. Instead, two electoral votes are awarded based on the popular vote and one is awarded to the winner of each of the state’s three congressional districts.

Most would say that Nebraska is reliably red based on past elections: a Republican presidential candidate has won every year but once since 1940. Lyndon B Johnson was the only exception, in 1964 (270towin).

State of the State

State Government Structure

Nebraska is unique in that it is the only American state legislature that is unicameral, meaning it has only one chamber of government, which is its Senate, but is commonly referred to as the Nebraska Legislature.

There are 49 senate positions in the Nebraska Legislature with each state senator serving a four-year term, limited to two terms. Half of the senate is up for election every two years. Each Nebraska state senator represents an average of 37,272 residents, as of the 2010 Census. While Senators and candidates are listed as officially nonpartisan, in most cases the individual has a direct party affiliation – usually decipherable through public voter registration.

Both the Democrat and Republican parties keep lists of senators that are members of their respective parties and make this information available to the public. (Ballotpedia).

In the Nebraska State Senate, 25 members are needed to pass a bill, 30 are needed for a filibuster or veto, and 33 are needed to override a Governor’s veto.

Nebraska is a Republican state government trifecta, meaning that one political party (in this case, the Republican party) holds the governorship, majority in the state senate, and majority in the state house.

Budget process

Nebraska’s budget process operates on a biennial budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:

Budget instruction guidelines are sent to state agencies in July.
Agency requests are submitted to the governor in September.
Agency hearings and public hearings are held in January and February.
On or before January 15, the governor submits his or her proposed budget to the Nebraska State Senate.
The Senate adopts a budget in May. A simple majority is required to pass a budget.
Nebraska is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.

The governor is constitutionally required to submit a balanced budget. In turn, the legislature is statutorily required to adopt a balanced budget. (Ballotpedia)

Business Climate

A 2018 CNBC study ranks Nebraska #14 in terms of overall business climate:

Freedom

Nebraska ranks 26th in Cato Institute’s 2018 Freedom in the 50 states.The overall freedom ranking is a combination of personal and economic freedoms.

Additional Resources

PEW Fiscal 50: State Trends and Analysis
PEW Women in Leadership – see analysis of women in leadership on a national scale
National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) Fiscal Survey of States
Compare 50 – pick what stats you want to compare with what states here
State Data Lab – compare a variety of factors among states here
Freedom in the 50 States 2018 – Cato
Tax Foundation facts and figures app is available for download

What You Can Do

As detailed above, Nebraskans have expansive potential for engaging in civic-minded and fiscally responsible activity. By forming Policy Circles across the state, women can lead the way in ensuring that policies are working and responding to individual needs at the local level.

Here’s what you can do:

- Click “It’s easy, start now” at www.thepolicycircle.org to start a circle in your area.
- Read our “Year of Conversation” for an overview of policy briefs on key issues affecting the country and your state.
- Connect with the Platte Institute, your state think tank and best resource for state level information on key policy issues.
- Tell a friend or family member about The Policy Circle by sending them to www.thepolicycircle.org. Any woman who believes in the power of free markets to unleash human creativity can start a Policy Circle in her area.