Former Nebraska Legislative Speakers, 11 Other Senators Urge Lawmakers To Retain Secret Ballots

From Nebraska Examiner:

By Paul Hammel

December 31, 2022

LINCOLN — Two former speakers of the Nebraska Legislature, along with 11 other former senators, are turning a thumbs down to a proposal to do away with secret ballots in electing legislative leaders.

Former Speakers Galen Hadley of Kearney and Greg Adams of York said that doing away with secret ballots would inject more partisanship into the nonpartisan, one-house Unicameral and, in the end, would place political party above good policy.

“Political parties get in the way of truly representing the will of the people. All senators, regardless of party, can represent their constituents equally,” Adams said.

Hadley said nonpartisanship makes the senators “more equal and independent.”

“Instead of party leaders having the only meaningful voices in the body, all senators contribute their own strengths and experience to policymaking,” Hadley said.

Falls City businessman Charles Herbster, who ran unsuccessfully for the GOP nomination for governor in May, has launched an effort through his political action committee, Nebraska First PAC, to push a more conservative agenda.

PAC sought pledges

Among Herbster’s efforts is one to get pledges from senators and candidates to end secret balloting to elect chairs of legislative committees, which will be among the first orders of business when the Unicameral convenes its 2023 session on Wednesday.

Some predict a fierce fight over the rules to begin the session — as happened in 2017 — inspiring fears that hard feelings will persist over the 90-day session. In 2017, a slate of mostly Republican senators — including an unprecedented three freshmen legislators — were elected to lead legislative committees. Such leadership positions, which guide policymaking, are typically reserved for veteran lawmakers.

Rod Edwards, who represents the Nebraska First PAC, said Saturday that at least 28 senators in the 49-seat Legislature have pledged to end secret ballots.

In Legislature’s hands

“It’s in the hands of the Legislature now,” said Edwards, who maintains that the State Constitution requires all legislative votes to be public.

Bayard Sen. Steve Erdman, who supports doing away with secret ballots, said people should be able to discover each vote he makes.

“Why make it secret?” he asked.

But Hadley and Adams say doing away with secret ballots for the leadership positions threatens the nonpartisan tradition of the nation’s only one-house legislature.

State senators are elected on a nonpartisan basis and, unlike other state legislatures elected on a partisan basis, there are no party caucuses and party “whips” to enforce party-line voting. However, political parties do get involved in Nebraska legislative elections, and a few issues, such as redistricting, become highly partisan.

The most qualified

Adams, who served as speaker from 2013-15, said private ballots have long been used for selecting internal leadership positions within school boards, county commissions, private organizations and political caucuses in Congress.

The Republican Party has held a majority in the Unicameral since the 1990s, yet has maintained secret ballots for committee chairs because lawmakers have recognized the benefits of having committee leaders from all political affiliations, according to Adams.

Adams said using confidential ballots allows senators to vote for leaders they believe are “most qualified to serve” rather than “who is most politically powerful.”

“Otherwise,” he said, “senators might be pressured to vote for a senator simply because they belong to the same political party.”

Hadley, who served as speaker from 2015-17, urged “newly elected senators to resist outside pressures to change these rules before they even experience serving in the Legislature.”

Other former state senators who signed onto a press release issued by Hadley and Adams were: Mike Gloor of Grand Island, Matt Williams of Gothenburg, Mark Kolterman of Seward, John Stinner of Gering, Robert Hilkeman of Omaha, Annette Dubas of Fullerton, Kate Sullivan of Cedar Rapids, Kathy Campbell of Lincoln, John McCollister of Omaha, Paul Schumacher of Columbus and Vickie McDonald of Boelus.

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