LINCOLN, Neb. (KMTV) — Nebraska Republicans and Democrats are suing to remove two newly approved political parties from the November ballot, each accusing the other of creating the parties to confuse voters.
The Working People Party and the America First Party are both seeking a spot on the ballot. On Aug. 7, Secretary of State Bob Evnen's office approved their petition signatures, a key step in the ballot qualification process.
The Nebraska Democratic Party argues the Working People Party's name is too similar to the existing Working Families Party. Republicans have raised a parallel objection to the America First Party, saying the phrase is too commonly associated with the GOP.
Both parties argue Evnen has the authority to remove the new parties from the ballot, each citing a legal precedent from more than 100 years ago – Porter v. Flick.
An attorney representing the Secretary of State's office said the Democrats submitted their paperwork too late to challenge the Working People Party's ballot status, arguing that July 15 was the benchmark date that began a 7 day window for objections.
The state Democratic Party has brought in the Elias Law Group, a firm that has represented the party in the past, including in 2020 when it fended off election challenges by the Trump campaign.
Chris Dodge, counsel with the Elias Law Group, pushed back on the filing deadline argument.
"That is just not correct as a question of Nebraska law," Dodge said.
On Wednesday, the judge ruled the two cases would not be combined into one but said they should proceed on the same timeline. All parties were permitted to submit new evidence before the end of the week. Hearings are scheduled for Monday Aug. 17, with the Republican Party case set for the morning and the Democratic Party case that afternoon.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
