Nebraska
| State website: | Committee and Reports |
| 2010-cycle districts: | Congress, State legislature « NEW |
| 2000-cycle districts: | Congress, State legislature |
| Primary governing law: | Neb. Const. art. III, § 5 |
On May 26, 2011, the unicameral legislature passed both LB 704 (congressional lines) and LB 703 (state legislative lines), which were signed by the Governor on the same day.
- Institution
Redistricting political control:
Governor State Senate State House Congressional lines R Unicameral nonpartisan state legislature State legislative lines R Unicameral nonpartisan state legislature 2000 cong. lines R Unicameral nonpartisan state legislature 2000 state lines R Unicameral nonpartisan state legislature Nebraska's congressional and state legislative lines are both drawn by the state legislature, as a regular statute, subject to gubernatorial veto. The state legislature is unicameral (one house, not divided into state House and state Senate), and elected in nonpartisan elections, though state parties generally endorse particular candidates. The members of the committee responsible for redistricting are listed here.
- Timing
Census data were delivered to Nebraska on March 1, 2011.
Nebraska's state law does not impose a particular deadline for drawing congressional or state legislative lines. The regular legislative session of 2011 began on January 5, 2011, and ends May 26, 2011. Incumbent candidates must file for congressional and state legislative primary elections by February 15, 2012, while non-incumbents are required to file by March 1, 2012. [Neb. Rev. Stat. § 32-606(1)]
Nebraska law appears to permit redrawing state legislative or congressional district lines mid-decade, at any point before the next Census. [2002 Op. Neb. Att'y Gen. No. 02003; Exon v. Tiemann, 279 F.Supp. 603 (D. Neb. 1967)]
- Public input
Current legislative rules call for the legislative redistricting committee to make redistricting data and draft plans available to the public, and to conduct at least one public hearing in each congressional district before plans are finalized. On May 6, 2011, the legislature publicized draft plans for state legislative and congressional districts, and scheduled at least two hearings for May 13, 2011. Further hearings will be listed here. [Rules of the Neb. Unicameral Legis., Rule 3, § 6]
- Criteria
Like all states, Nebraska must comply with constitutional equal population requirements; the state constitution also asks that legislative districts be "as nearly equal in population as may be." [Neb. Const. art. III, § 5]
Nebraska must also, like all states, abide by section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
The Nebraska constitution further requires that state legislative districts be contiguous and compact, and that they keep to county boundaries "whenever practicable." [Neb. Const. art. III, § 5]
On April 8, 2011, the Nebraska legislature promulgated guidelines asking the same of congressional districts, and also asking that both congressional and state legislative districts be understandable to voters, preserve the cores of prior districts, and keep to boundaries of cities and villages when feasible. The guidelines further declared that district boundaries should not be established with the intention of favoring a political party, other group, or any person; and asked that those drawing the lines refuse to consider political data except where otherwise required by law. [Legis. Res. 102, 102d Leg., 1st Sess. (2011)] The legislature may alter these guidelines as it wishes.
- 2000 cycle
In the 2000 redistricting cycle, Nebraska's legislature enacted congressional districts on May 30, 2001, and state legislative districts on May 31, 2001.
It appears that these plans were not challenged in court.
