Nebraska districts fall into six overlapping systems that every address in the state sits inside at once: three congressional districts, 49 legislative districts, twelve judicial districts, five Public Service Commission districts, two sets of eight education districts, and 23 Natural Resources Districts. Each system answers a different question about who represents you, where you go to court, who regulates your utilities, and how your groundwater and flood control are managed. The state constitution and statutes require most of these boundaries to be redrawn after each federal census, and the Legislature cannot redraw them more than once per decade.1Nebraska Legislature. A Brief History of Legislative Redistricting in Nebraska If you just want to know which districts your address falls into, skip to the lookup instructions at the end.
Congressional Districts
Nebraska sends three members to the U.S. House of Representatives, one from each congressional district.2GovTrack.us. Nebraska Senators, Representatives, and Congressional District Maps After the 2020 cycle, the 1st District covers the eastern part of the state including Lincoln and surrounding communities. The 2nd centers on the Omaha metro, taking in Douglas and Sarpy counties. The 3rd covers the rest of the state, a large rural stretch across central and western Nebraska. Roughly two-thirds of the population lives in the eastern third, so the western district is geographically enormous by necessity.
These boundaries matter beyond congressional races because Nebraska splits its presidential electors. One elector is chosen from each congressional district and two are chosen statewide.3Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Revised Statutes 32-710 Each district elector votes for the candidate who won that district; the two at-large electors vote for the statewide winner.4Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Revised Statutes 32-714 Only Nebraska and Maine use this split-vote approach. A single congressional district can, and sometimes does, send its electoral vote to a different candidate than the rest of the state.
State Legislative Districts
Nebraska is the only state with a single-chamber legislature, the Unicameral. It has 49 members, each elected from a separate legislative district to serve a four-year term.5Nebraska Legislature. Lesson 3 – The Unicameral – The Institution The constitution requires that each district hold roughly equal population based on the most recent census, with one senator per district.6Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Constitution Article III-5 Under 2020 census numbers, each district contains about 40,000 residents.
Any county large enough for two or more senators must be split into separate districts of contiguous, compact territory.6Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Constitution Article III-5 Nebraska has no independent redistricting commission; the Legislature draws its own lines.
Judicial Districts
Nebraska’s trial courts are organized into twelve district court judicial districts set by statute. Each district groups one or more counties for handling felony criminal cases and major civil litigation.7Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Revised Statutes 24-301.02 Size varies sharply. The 4th District is Douglas County alone (Omaha) with eighteen judges; rural western districts may have only two.
Judges are selected through a merit-based system rather than partisan elections, with each judicial district using its own nominating commission that sends the Governor a list of at least two candidates for each vacancy.8Justia. Nebraska Constitution Article V-21 Your judicial district determines where you file a lawsuit and where you may be called for jury duty. Standard district court filing fees run around $87 for civil or criminal matters, higher for divorces and lower for domestic relations modifications.9Nebraska Judicial Branch. Filing Fees and Court Costs
Public Service Commission Districts
The Nebraska Public Service Commission regulates telecommunications carriers, natural gas utilities, grain warehouses, household goods movers, and high-voltage electric transmission lines, among others.10Nebraska Public Service Commission. Nebraska Public Service Commission Home The constitution establishes the commission and requires members to be elected from districts of substantially equal population.11Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Constitution Article IV-20
Five commissioners currently serve six-year terms, each representing a different geographic slice of the state. The constitution permits the Legislature to set the commission’s size anywhere between three and seven, though it has stayed at five for decades.11Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Constitution Article IV-20 Residents can attend public hearings within their commission district on rate increases and service changes.
Education Governance Districts
Two statewide boards use eight-member district systems. State Board of Education members are elected to four-year terms from eight educational districts and oversee the Department of Education, setting K-12 standards. Board of Regents members are elected to six-year terms from eight districts and govern the University of Nebraska system, including approving the university budget and tuition rates and selecting the university president.12University of Nebraska. Board of Regents
Each Board of Regents district elects one voting member, and each campus also has a non-voting student regent who serves as student body president.13University of Nebraska. Board of Regents – Board Members The eight-district structure keeps both western agricultural areas and eastern metro areas represented when education and university funding decisions are made.
Natural Resources Districts
Nebraska has 23 Natural Resources Districts, or NRDs, and their boundaries follow major river basins rather than county lines. That makes them unique among the state’s administrative divisions.14Nebraska Association of Resources Districts. About NRDs Organizing by watershed lets each NRD manage land that shares the same drainage patterns, which fits how flood control and groundwater regulation actually work.
State law gives NRDs responsibility for twelve areas, including flood control, soil erosion prevention, and groundwater quality and quantity management. They also build and maintain dams, drainage systems, windbreaks, and recreational trails. Each NRD is governed by a locally elected board of directors ranging in size from five to twenty-one members depending on the district.15Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Revised Statutes 2-3213 NRDs are political subdivisions of the state with authority to levy local property taxes, though in most counties they account for only about one to two percent of total property taxes collected.14Nebraska Association of Resources Districts. About NRDs In rural areas, groundwater allocation decisions by an NRD can determine whether a farmer irrigates a full crop or cuts back, and flood-control projects protect towns across the Platte, Republican, and Niobrara river basins.
Finding Your Districts
A single Nebraska address can sit inside a congressional district, a legislative district, a judicial district, a Public Service Commission district, two education board districts, and a Natural Resources District at the same time. The Nebraska Secretary of State’s office maintains a voter information lookup where registered voters can enter their name and date of birth and see all of their district assignments in one view, at votercheck.necvr.ne.gov. The Legislature also publishes interactive maps for congressional, legislative, and Board of Regents districts through its maps clearinghouse.