'Good Government Lincoln' submits petition signatures for Lincoln election changes

The “Good Government Lincoln” group on Monday submitted signatures to the Lincoln city clerk's office. Once the Lancaster County Election Commission verifies the signatures collected, the three proposed amendments to the city charter will be added to the November ballot.

The petitions for new amendments all deal with restructuring Lincoln’s elections. The group, led by former state tax commissioner and state Sen. Tony Fulton, is hoping to expand voting to certain residents outside of Lincoln for certain elections. Fulton didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Those targeted residents live in Lincoln’s “extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction,” which is the three-mile area surrounding the city.

The group is also seeking two four-year term limits for Lincoln City Council members and to realign the timing of city elections with statewide elections. That alignment of elections would begin in 2028.

Fulton said in a statement to the Nebraska Examiner that the charter amendments “are designed to give residents of Lincoln a stronger voice in city government, prevent the pitfalls of career politicians and ensure more voters are engaged with our city elections.”

Brandi Lehl, Lincoln’s assistant city clerk, confirmed with Nebraska Public Media News that the group sent in their signatures.

However, the group is still waiting for the green light as Lancaster County Election Commissioner Todd Wiltgen must still verify the signatures.

To have the necessary amount of signatures, a charter amendment petition requires 5% of registered voters in the previous governor’s race – roughly 5,000.

Once signatures are verified, the Lincoln City Council will move to add the measures to the November ballot.

Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird’s campaign social media page commented on the initiatives Tuesday, saying they were designed by "extreme partisans who haven’t been able to win in local elections on their merits."

"One of the initiatives allows people who don’t live in Lincoln and don’t pay city taxes to vote in our city elections," the post said. "Another initiative forces mayoral elections in both 2027 AND 2028 – a scheme designed to shorten what would be my final term in office."

"I want you to know that I oppose these partisan efforts masquerading as 'good governance'. No other city in Nebraska is facing such an attack – just Lincoln. Make no mistake, the partisan extremists behind this are not working for the common good, and they do not deserve your trust."