Ballot vacancy provisions approved

Provisions for filling a general election ballot vacancy are harmonized under a bill passed Feb. 7 by the Legislature.

Under current law, the political party of a candidate who declines a nomination has three days to fill the ballot vacancy but there are different provisions when a candidate exits a race for other reasons.

LB503, sponsored by Omaha Sen. Pete Pirsch, provides consistency in filling ballot vacancies by removing the time constraint in cases of declination and allowing a vacancy to be filled by the executive committee of the vacating candidate. If such a committee does not exist or chooses not to replace the candidate, the vacancy may be filled by a mass convention of the political party.

The bill passed on a 34-0 vote.