Government of Nebraska

The Lieutenant Governor is the second-highest official in the Nebraska government and the first in line to succeed to the governorship in the event of a vacancy.

The current Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska is Joe Kelly, who assumed office on January 5, 2023.

The Secretary of State has responsibilities over the following areas: elections, business registrations, occupational licensing, state rules and regulations, records management, international relations and youth civics programs.

The state office also disperses funds to local governments as needed, keeps track of unclaimed property and helps with investments.

[2] To this end, the Office of the Auditor of Public Accounts (APA) engages in financial audits of every state agency, officer, board, bureau and commission, conducts the annual single audit of federal awards received by the state, and investigates both reported and alleged waste, fraud, and mismanagement throughout state and local government.

[3] The current Auditor of Public Accounts is Mike Foley, who assumed office on January 5, 2023.

Nebraska's executive branch includes the following 18 code agencies, all under direction from the Governor.

The legislature is unicameral and officially recognizes no party affiliation, making Nebraska unique among U.S. states.

The Legislature also has the power, by a three-fifths vote, to propose a constitutional amendment to the voters, who then pass or reject it through a referendum.

Rather than separate primary elections held to choose Republican, Democratic, and other partisan contenders for a seat, Nebraska uses a single nonpartisan blanket primary, in which the top two vote-getters are entitled to run in the general election.

However, almost all the members of the legislature are known to be either Democrats or Republicans, and the state branches of both parties explicitly endorse candidates for legislative seats.

[5] The highest position among the members is the Speaker, who presides over the Legislature in the absence of the Lieutenant Governor.

The Speaker, with the approval of the Executive Board, determines the agenda (or the order in which bills and resolutions are considered on General File).

The current Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature is John Arch, who was elected to the office on January 4, 2023.

If a position becomes vacant, the judicial nominating commission, made up of four lawyers and four non-lawyers, holds a hearing to select potential candidates.