LINCOLN- A new state law could set up a scramble among several candidates to fill out the last two years of the legislative term of the late State Sen. Rich Pahls of Omaha.

Gov. Pete Ricketts will get to appoint someone from District 31 to fill the vacancy until just prior to the start of the 2023 legislative session in January.

But under a state law passed in 2017, any qualified candidate who collects at least 2,000 signatures from voters in the district will appear on the November election ballot. Voters will choose a winner to fill out the remainder of Pahl’s term, which runs until January 2025.

Wayne Bena, deputy Nebraska secretary of state for elections, said it’s the first time the law has been used since it was passed.

The law sets no limit on the number of candidates who can appear on the ballot, and since the position is nonpartisan, there’s no limit on candidates from any particular party.

Bena said prospective candidates can request petitions from the Secretary of State’s Office. Signatures, he said, must be turned in by Sept. 1.

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