State senators debate on the floor of the Nebraska Legislature at the Nebraska State Capitol Building. (Rebecca S. Gratz for Nebraska Examinerz)
LINCOLN — Candidates for Nebraska’s two largest public power districts would be elected on a partisan basis under a bill advanced from first-round debate Friday in the State Legislature.
State Sen. John Lowe of Kearney. Sept. 26, 2023. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)
State Sen. John Lowe of Kearney, who introduced the proposal, said he was concerned that “East Coast money” has been recently poured into races for the Omaha Public Power District and Nebraska Public Power District and that labeling candidates for those offices as Republican, Democrat or nonpartisan will add clarity to elections.
“Most of the time, that one word choice will tell voters 99% of what they need to know to govern,” Lowe told fellow senators.
Legislative Bill 541 advanced from first-round debate on a 29-16 vote that split along party lines, with Republicans, like Lowe, supporting it and Democrats voting against.