OMAHA - Voters weren't sold on many of the nine measures that appeared on ballots across the state Tuesday.
Of three measures on the ballot by petition, only an attempt to restore elementary-only - or Class I - school districts succeeded.
Voters issued a resounding “not in our state” to a proposed cap on state spending, and a video keno initiative went down in flames.
Four of six measures placed on the ballot by the Legislature also failed. With 98 percent of precincts reporting, 70 percent of voters opposed Initiative 423, which would have tied increases in state government expenditures to cost-of-living and population changes.
Opponents said the measure was too rigid and would result in higher property taxes and government inflexibility.
“Nebraskans are frugal, but they are not cheap,” said Karen Kilgarin, spokeswoman for Nebraskans Against 423, a coalition of 90 organizations opposing the lid. “I think it's pretty clear that Nebraskans looked past the sound bites at what the consequences of 423 would be for Nebraska.”
Proponents said the cap was needed because state spending will go up 7.8 percent and 7 percent, respectively, the next two years, and the state budget will have increased 282 percent from 1984 through 2007, when the cost of living during that period increased only 83 percent.
“I think there's a number of Nebraskans that don't realize how serious the problem is,” said Omaha businessman Dave Nabity, a lid supporter who ran an unsuccessful campaign for the GOP gubernatorial nomination. “I think voters, unfortunately, bought the scare tactics.”
Anti-lid advertisements with the slogan “not in our state” tied the measure to New York real estate investor Howard Rich, who helped fund a network of groups that has promoted ballot measures in at least 14 states this year.
Patrick Hudson, 24, of Omaha, researched the spending lid before deciding to vote against it.
“Ultimately, it could affect everything at the university,” said Hudson, a graduate student at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Richard Edzards of Omaha said he probably had changed his mind about the spending lid 20 times throughout the campaign.
In the end, the 61-year-old decided to vote against it - not because he dislikes the concept, but because he thinks amending the state constitution would be too hard to undo.
“A little spending restraint wouldn't hurt us, but I'm not sure that's the way to do it,” Edzards said.
Nabity said the measure will resurface if the governor and Legislature don't control state spending.
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