Lincoln voters are likely decide whether it should be illegal for landlords in the city to discriminate against tenants based on how they would pay rent, after the Lancaster County Election Commission certified a successful ballot initiative for the May 6, 2025 city general election.
Currently, landlord are allowed to refuse lawful forms of payment such as section 8 or housing vouchers. If approved by voters, property owners would no longer be able to deny a tenant housing or otherwise treat a tenant differently if they are receiving rental assistance from an alternative source of income. Tenants using social security, veteran benefits, disability, working for tips or cash wages, and working informal jobs would also be protected.
Commissioner Todd Wiltgen said of the 11,573 petition lines reviewed, 9,798 signatures were found to be valid. Exceeding the 8,825 signatures required by the Lincoln City Charter by more than 10%. The multitudinous coalition of 19 advocacy groups — Lincoln for Fair Housing — produced 15,300 petition signatures during their roughly 6-week campaign.
Commissioner Wiltgen certified that the signatures threshold was reached and returned all the petitions to the Lincoln City Clerk on Friday.
The Lincoln City Council will have 30 days to either enact the ordinance without amendments or submit it to the voters at the next election. The deadlines to submit ballot questions for the April Primary Election is Tuesday, February 18th and the May General Election is Friday, March 14th.
The campaign released the following statement in response to their ballot being certified:
“Right now, nearly one in three voucher holders must return their assistance because they can’t find a willing landlord. The facts are clear: Source-of-income protections don’t drive up rents – market forces do. And Lincoln already requires rental properties to meet health and safety codes. Ensuring safe housing for all shouldn’t be considered a hassle. This initiative is about fairness, stability, and opportunity. Lincoln can and must take a stand against discrimination so everyone in our city has a fair chance at a home.”