Opinion ID: 1991746
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: legal sufficiency of the petition form

Text: In their prayer for declarative and injunctive relief, appellants challenged the legal sufficiency of Measure # 408's initiative petition due to its numerous technical and clerical errors. Among the alleged errors are the actions of appellees in (1) failing to file an actual copy of the initiative petition to be used with the Secretary of State prior to circulation as required by § 32-704(2); (2) failing to print a concise statement in large type of the objects to be sought on the petition as required by § 32-703; (3) failing to conform the petition's signature and name lines and spacing to the requirements of Neb.Rev.Stat. § 32-4,156 (Reissue 1993); (4) failing to print in boldface type required warnings to potential supporters regarding the penalties for wrongfully signing a petition as required by Neb.Rev. Stat. § 32-705 (Reissue 1993); (5) failing to provide a signature line for circulators as required by § 32-705; (6) attempting to amend various constitutional articles without specifically setting forth the sections being amended or repealed; (7) using internal references in the petition which incorporated federal term limits, thus rendering Measure # 408 unintelligible and garbled; (8) using an object statement which deceptively and inaccurately identified Measure # 408's goal by failing to include state legislators; and (9) failing to file with the Secretary of State a sworn statement containing the names and addresses of all of Measure # 408's sponsors as required by § 32-704(2). The Secretary of State must review a petition for a proposed initiative measure to determine whether the petition satisfies statutory prescriptions regarding the form of an initiative measure. See, State ex rel. Brant v. Beermann, 217 Neb. 632, 350 N.W.2d 18 (1984); § 32-705. We have previously described the Secretary of State's duties in the review of initiative petitions to be ministerial in nature. See, State ex rel. Labedz v. Beermann, 229 Neb. 657, 428 N.W.2d 608 (1988); State ex rel. Brant v. Beermann, supra . The Secretary of State cannot pass on the merits of the initiative measure and can reject the measure only if it is facially invalid or unconstitutional. State ex rel. Brant v. Beermann, supra . Generally, the Secretary of State will approve a proposed petition if the statutorily prescribed forms are substantially complied with. Id. See § 32-705(5) for statutory provisions regarding initiative petitions. This general leniency is carried through the entire initiative process in order to preserve the full spirit of the precious right of the people to revise their Constitution. After a successful initiative measure, the Governor of Nebraska simply issues a proclamation and the proposed amendments become part of the Constitution. The Revisor of Statutes then publishes the amendments as they were drafted by the initiative's sponsors. Although the Revisor of Statutes has authority, in preparing supplements to and reissued or replacement volumes of the Revised Statutes, to renumber and rearrange sections, the Revisor cannot change the substantive meaning of any adopted constitutional amendment. See, e.g., Stuthman v. Stuthman, 245 Neb. 846, 515 N.W.2d 781 (1994); State ex rel. Wright v. Pepperl, 221 Neb. 664, 380 N.W.2d 259 (1986); Neb.Rev.Stat. § 49-705 (Reissue 1993). The Revisor of Statutes is powerless to make substantive corrections and revisions to approved amendments resulting from a successful initiative. For example, the Revisor could not correct the internal cross-references described above. Our review of the record indicates that at least some of the alleged errors regarding the legal sufficiency of Measure # 408 had also been complained of when the previous term limits proposal, Measure # 407, was challenged. For example, Measure # 407's object statement also failed to include state legislators, despite the fact that Measure # 407 sought to impose term limits upon the Legislature. We note that sample forms, rather than drafts of the actual petitions to be circulated, were submitted for the Secretary of State's review. The Secretary of State contends that an initiative's sponsors should not be required to retain a printer and prepare a final draft before obtaining his approval. Although the text on the sample petition was identical to that on the circulated petition, we question how the Secretary of State could ascertain that the circulated petition substantially complied with statutory provisions regarding the use of boldface, type size, and spacing if he never saw it prior to circulation. Many of the alleged errors could have been corrected during a ministerial review for substantial compliance without violation of the prohibition against passing on the merit or wisdom of the proposed amendments. Our disposition of this case makes it unnecessary to rule on the effect of the carelessness evident in the drafting of Measure # 408. As demonstrated by this case, any textual error due to careless drafting can become part of our Constitution. Expressing the written will of the people, the Constitution, demands that initiative supporters exercise due care and caution appropriate to the significance of that task.