NE LB521

Amends election procedures for metropolitan and primary class cities, allowing them to schedule candidate nominations at statewide primary elections and elections at statewide general elections during presidential election years through home rule charter provisions

Establishes standardized petition forms for President of the United States candidates, new political party formation, and nomination petitions, with specific language requirements for partisan and nonpartisan offices

Requires election commissioners and county clerks to conduct at least three independent tests of vote counting devices before counting begins, with certification to the Secretary of State, and allows political party watchers to observe testing

Expands requirements for counting watchers and observers, mandating they maintain at least eight feet distance from ballots, ballot boxes, and vote counting devices, and prohibits their exclusion unless closed-circuit television or similar viewing is provided

Changes sample ballot publication timeline from fifteen to thirty days before election day, requires verification of signatures on identification envelopes, and updates Open Meetings Act notice requirements effective January 1, 2025