Speaker of the House is a very familiar title to Americans. Being that the position is the third highest-ranking in the country, the names of past speakers are almost as easy to recall as the Presidents that they served with. And with the unprecedented removal of Kevin McCarthy from the position of House Speaker, there has been more attention on the seat than ever. But it might be helpful to take a look at the responsibilities of the Speaker to understand why the position is so important.

Electing a Speaker
Electing a new Speaker is the first order of business …

If you spend any time watching (or reading) the news, you will quickly realize that national politics and politicians get the lion's share of television, online, and printed attention. The seemingly large decisions coming out of Washington get constant coverage by the media. This coverage has made our national politicians household names all across the country.

While it is good to know what is happening on Capitol Hill, the truth is that these decisions affect our daily lives much less than the decisions made at your very own City Hall. Or even closer to home, your local school board. The …

Party Platform Comparison Part 4: Healthcare and Abortion
It comes as no surprise to see that these are two more issues on which there is a wide gap between the different platforms. The different parties have, for the most part, diametrically opposed views on healthcare and abortion. In this article we will compare the views to give you a better understanding of where our political candidates stand.

Healthcare
 

Democrat
The Nebraska Democratic position on healthcare is based on their position that “access to affordable, quality health care is a right for all.” Some of their main goals are to expand …

Party Platform Comparison Part 3: Education

This month we tackle one of the most important areas of government administration. The policies that govern the way the next generation is educated can have enormous consequences for the future. So take a look at what each party has to say about this topic.

Democrat
The Nebraska Democratic platform includes many more statements on education than we can summarize here. They see education as more of a public endeavor, rather than only the parents having an interest in their children’s learning. Because of this, their positions on education are generally in favor of …

Party Platform Comparison Part 2:  Labor and Economy

We continue this series with a look at a topic that hits close to home for nearly everyone. Whether or not you are interested in politics, the laws that govern your workplace and finances are most likely important to you. So in this article we will help you better understand where each party stands on this crucial area of Labor and Economy.

There’s one thing to mention before we jump into the article. Throughout this series, you will notice quite a disparity between the parties in the amount of information provided under …

There are four registered political parties in Nebraska: Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, and Legal Marijuana Now. In our next few articles we will be comparing the platforms of these different political parties on significant topics. We will begin each section with a brief explanation of the different parties’ approaches to the topic, and then provide the main points of each platform. All information is taken from the respective party platforms located on the official party websites.

Criminal Justice

Democratic Party:[1]

The Nebraska Democratic Party states that “Nebraska’s criminal justice system is failing to keep communities safe—and failing to deliver justice.” …

Voter Identification in Nebraska

Spring 2023

                           by Stephen Fox

Introduction

After the 2020 elections, voter identification at the polls became a mainstream topic of discussion across the electorate. Some called for stricter measures for identifying voters at the poll and by mail with concerns of voter fraud. Others argued that stricter identification would, in some cases, inhibit legal voters from casting their votes.

In the 2022 election here in Nebraska, State Sen. Julie Slama, Republican National Committeewoman Lydia Brasch, former state senator and former Douglas County Republican Chairwoman Nancy McCabe, and Citizens for Voter ID filed Ballot Initiative 432 …

RESULTS:  Unofficial Results reveal a 59% in favor vote.

Mail-in votes must be in by March 14, 2023.   For the official statement of election, see https://votedouglascounty.com/elections/2023/Millard/MLO23Issue.pdf

We are looking at restructuring the system to simplify both the candidates’ input and ease for the voters reading responses. We are just beginning to review our options on how to accomplish this.

Volunteers are the lifeblood to our organization. The current system for our volunteers to contact candidates and record their contact attempts/responses is cumbersome, to say the least.  We are looking for ways to streamline the process to make it easier for our volunteers.

Both initiatives will require significant technical adaptations, our largest expense.

2020 brought a new homepage.  The system was working but was not as user friendly as it could have been.  Donors came to our rescue and provided the funds to give you the experience you have today when using our site.

2020 also brought job descriptions for several of the offices on the ballot.  Knowing what the position entails helps you, the voter, determine whether a candidate has the necessary experience/skills to perform the job.

As a help to the candidates themselves, 2020 saw the ability of the candidates to print and keep a copy of their questionnaire responses.