Raise the Wage Nebraska is ready to submit more than 130,000 signatures to increase Nebraska’s minimum wage to $15 by 2026.
Campaign Manager Kate Wolfe tells KLIN News, “It is a huge sigh of relief to know we have hit our goals of the number of signatures that we need to turn in to qualify for the ballot. It is always a stress at the end. That never changes. We are just really excited to have support from all across Nebraska.”
Wolfe says they needed and estimated 87,500 signatures but they always like to receive extra in case some are disqualified. This also gives an opportunity for as many Nebraskans who want to petition their government, which is their right to do so.
If all the signatures are verified, the issue on the ballot would gradually increase the minimum wage in Nebraska. It is currently $9 and hour. It would go up to $10.50 in 2023 and would gradually increase in 2026 to $15. Wolfe says after that, “It would then be adjusted annually thereafter to account for increases in the cost of living. That is our object statement from our petition.”
The petitions will be turned over to the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office on Thursday.
The signatures will be sent to the counties they were collected from. Wolf says signatures were collected in all 93 counties. They will do a verification process and will the final count in about 40 days.