Opposing measures to expand or limit abortion access in Nebraska make November's ballot

LINCOLN - Voters in Nebraska will get to decide if abortion access should be broadened or limited in the state after two opposing measures made it onto the November ballot on Friday.

While a handful of states will see abortion on the ballot, Nebraska will be the first state to have competing measures since the overturn of Roe V. Wade in 2022 after Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen announced the certification on Friday of two ballot measures: one aiming to enshrine the state’s current 12-week abortion ban in the Nebraska Constitution, and the other seeking to extend abortion access up to fetal viability.

“I applaud our county election offices and election workers who are working hard to process several petitions and meet important election deadlines,” Evnen said in a statement. “Barring any legal challenges, this November general election ballot will host two ballot measures that appear in direct conflict with each other, which could be the first time this has happened in Nebraska’s history.”

More: Voters will get to weigh in on abortion come November — in red and blue states alike

The measure sponsored by Protect Our Rights, a coalition of local reproductive health rights groups, would enshrine the right to abortion when it is “needed to protect the life or health of the pregnant patient,” as well extend abortion access up to fetal viability, which is typically around 24 weeks.

The other measure backed by the anti-abortion group Protect Women and Children aims to enshrine Nebraska’s current 12-week ban in the state constitution in opposition to the Protect Our Rights initiative. Since its launch in March, the measure has received backing from conservative lawmakers in the state, including Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, who has contributed more than $2 million to the petition.

Both campaigns collected record-breaking amounts of signatures for ballot initiatives in the state, over 136,000 of which were valid for each measure, according to the secretary of state. To qualify for the ballot, each group had to collect signatures from roughly 123,000, or 10% of the state’s registered voters, and signatures from 5% in at least 38 of Nebraska’s 93 counties.

The winning measure must garner at least 35% of the vote this fall. If both measures surpass that threshold, the one that receives the most votes in November will pass.

Nebraska is the latest state to certify abortion-related ballot measures, following Missouri and Arizona, which put their own on the ballot earlier this month. But not all initiatives have seen the same success. Abortion rights supporters in Arkansas were on track to get their own measure on the ballot but were blocked by an Arkansas Supreme Court decision Thursday ruling that the measure is invalid because of a paperwork error.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nebraska voters to decide between two abortion-related amendments