A proposal to expand Medicaid in Nebraska moved closer Friday to getting on the November ballot after the state’s top elections official determined there are enough valid signatures to send the question to voters.
Secretary of State John Gale said 104,477 valid signatures were certified by his office. The effort needed at least 84,269 to make it onto the ballot.
Additionally, organizers were required to gather signatures from at least 5 percent of the registered voters in 38 of Nebraska’s 93 counties. Gale said that margin was met in 47 counties.
“The measure will be placed on the 2018 general election ballot, barring an order from the district court handling the pending lawsuit that challenges the initiative petition,” Gale said in a written statement.
The news from Gale’s office comes as a Lancaster County District judge is weighing a decision in a lawsuit seeking to block the proposal from making it to the November ballot.