Nebraska
Organizers of three petition efforts say they likely won’t gather enough signatures to get their issues on the November ballot.
Citizens for a Free Nebraska - which included some former Elkhorn residents - was gathering signatures for two initiatives.One would prevent annexation of a city without a vote of the residents. The other would let cities swallowed up regain their freedom by a vote of residents.
Private property owners, including the owners of shopping malls and free-standing stores, have a legal right to bar petition circulators and their opponents from their property, Attorney General Jon Bruning said Friday.
Bruning’s office issued a legal opinion about the issue in response to a request by Speaker of the Legislature Mike Flood of Norfolk.
“The law is clear,” Bruning said. “Private property owners have a right to restrict who comes on their property.”
Speaker of the Legislature Mike Flood said Wednesday that he has asked for an attorney general’s opinion on whether business owners can keep petition circulators and opponents off their property.
Flood said he made the request because different cities are taking different positions on the question.
Lincoln officials recently announced they would enforce trespassing laws against petition circulators and opponents who refuse to leave private property after being asked to do so.
Omaha officials have followed that policy for some time.