Two proposed political parties have taken a major step toward official recognition in Nebraska after meeting the state’s signature requirements for party formation.
The Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office announced Thursday that organizers with the Nebraska Working People Party and the America First Party submitted enough valid petition signatures to move forward in the process of becoming recognized political parties.
The Working People Party submitted its petitions on July 14, followed by the America First Party on July 15. State officials said signature verification ended once each petition exceeded 110 percent of the required number of valid signatures statewide and in each of Nebraska’s three congressional districts.
Under state law, organizers were required to collect at least 2,262 valid signatures in the 1st Congressional District, 2,200 in the 2nd District and 2,266 in the 3rd District, for a statewide total of 6,728 signatures.
Secretary of State Bob Evnen has notified organizers for both parties that their petitions were sufficient and outlined the remaining steps in the certification process.
Nebraska law gives organizers 20 calendar days after receiving notification to submit a party constitution, bylaws and a list of party officers to the Secretary of State’s Office.
If those documents are submitted by the Aug. 27 deadline, the Secretary of State will certify each organization as a new political party. If the required documents are not received by the deadline, certification will not be issued.