LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – Nebraska’s Secretary of State said Friday that both the medical marijuana initiative and the school choice referendum are expected to appear on Nebraska’s ballots in November.

The secretary of state said in a press release Friday that the petitions had not yet been certified, but did meet signature requirements. That means the verification process will continue until the state reaches the threshold of 110% verified signatures on each of the petitions.

“Our office is providing this update to keep voters informed of where county election offices are in the signature verification process,” Secretary Evnen said in the press release. “Election workers are checking each voter’s signature on the remaining petitions, and we will have petitions verified before the September 13 deadline to certify the November ballot.”

Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana turned in more than 114,000 signatures for each of their initiatives as of July 3, surpassing the 86,499 needed. So far, the state has confirmed more than 89,000 valid signatures for each petition and has met the 5% requirement for at least 51 counties — 13 more than required.

If voters approve the proposal, one initiative would allow patients to purchase medical marijuana, while the other would allow businesses to sell it.

“After years of hard work, we are beyond excited that Nebraskans will finally have the opportunity to make their voices heard on this issue this November,” campaign manager Crista Eggers said in a press release Friday. “Our fight has been long, it has been tough, but we have never given up. Today, we celebrate that patients across this state will soon have access to medical cannabis treatments. We want to thank all of the Nebraskans who have dedicated countless hours and days of their lives to make this possible, and we look forward to the Secretary of State’s final certification in the coming days.”

Eggers told 6 News that she went to her son’s school Friday afternoon to tell him the news in person. The fourth-grader suffers from severe epileptic seizures, and the only options now available in Nebraska are various medications with many side effects.

If voters approve the ballot initiative, Colton and all the other families who have been pushing for legalization for years will have another treatment option available to them here in Nebraska.

According to Friday’s update from the secretary of state, school choice is also likely to be on Nebraska’s November ballots.

In mid-July, Support Our Schools Nebraska submitted more than 86,000 signatures to its school choice petition, which needed about 62,000 signatures. The secretary of state said Friday that the state had verified that the petition exceeded the minimum number and that those signatures represented at least 5% of 57 counties, which was 19 more than required.

According to the press release from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the provincial election offices are in the process of verifying the remaining signatures for each of the three items.

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This is a developing story. Stay with 6 News for updates.

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