Bill would make election of city and county offices nonpartisan

Local officials, from city council members to county attorneys, would be elected on a nonpartisan ballot under a bill heard by the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee Feb. 16.

LB214, introduced by Louisville Sen. Dave Pankonin, would require nonpartisan ballots for the nomination and election of county and city officials.

Pankonin said local offices are largely ministerial, so an officials’ responsibilities have little bearing on political party affiliation. Furthermore, he said, party affiliation tells voters nothing about the qualifications of candidates.

Voters in a close primary election also can switch parties to vote in a more competitive race, he said.

“This actually makes party affiliation a meaningless designation, creates work for election offices and inconveniences the affected voters,” Pankonin said.

Doris Royal of Springfield testified in support of the bill. A party label does not indicate whether a candidate will be a good or bad officeholder, she said, and nonpartisan ballots would base elections solely on who voters think would be the best candidate.

“That is the American way: let the majority rule,” Royal said.

Larry Dix, representing the Nebraska Association of County Officials, testified in opposition to the bill. The election of 92 new county board members in the last election cycle indicates that partisan ballots do not result in entrenched incumbents, he said.

Some county officials make decisions based on policies that are aligned with their party affiliation, Dix said, adding that county officials see no need to discontinue partisan ballots.

The committee took no immediate action on the bill.