Family Group Accuses Gambling Petition Circulators of Misleading Voters as Deadline Approaches

by Ken Shepherd

(Picture credit Secretary of State’s office)

Petition circulators for Tax Relief Nebraska, a pro-online sports wagering group, may be misleading voters in their effort to garner signatures for twin ballot petition drive efforts, a pro-family advocacy group says, citing a tipster’s video.

Nebraska Family Alliance said in a June 18 article on its website that it “has received concerns from voters alleging that some petition interactions have contained misleading and materially false statements about the initiatives, including claims that online sports betting is already legal in Nebraska and that their petitions do not legalize it.”

To bolster its claim, it included a YouTube video of one such alleged encounter, furnished by an anonymous tipster.

In it, a man is heard interacting with a prospective petition signer, telling her that online sports wagering is already legal in Nebraska, but that the petition endeavor aims to ensure tax revenues from the transactions go to state coffers in Lincoln, as opposed to neighboring states like Iowa.

The video, apparently taken from a smartphone, does not show either the face of the woman or the man, nor is Tax Relief Nebraska’s name mentioned.

“So does it legalize online sports betting in Nebraska?” the woman is heard asking.

“No, ma’am. No, ma’am, because it’s already legal down here, it’s already legal in Nebraska. It’s just that y’all don’t get the tax money because they have to go to Iowa just to get their wages,” answered the man in the video. “So what we’re trying to do is, we’re trying to help get the tax money that y’all are already spending to come back to Nebraska instead of staying in Iowa. Because it’s already legal down here to play these mobile apps. It’s already legal for that,” the petition taker added.

The woman is then heard interrupting the man, “I thought it was illegal in Nebraska. And I thought that the petition was to make it legal.”

“No, ma’am, no ma’am, it’s already legal down here,” replied the man, adding that the petition aims to make sure “the wages and your taxes” end up in Nebraska rather than neighboring Iowa.

Nebraska Family Alliance tells The Plains Sentinel the recording was taken on May 28 outside the Gateway Mall in Lincoln and was supplied to the group by a woman who wishes to remain anonymous.

The slightly longer, uncut version of the video provided by the Nebraska Family Alliance to The Plains Sentinel ended with the woman telling the man she did not believe in online sports betting and thus wouldn’t sign, but thanked the man for explaining the petition to her.

“A clear look at the messaging, tactics, and numbers behind ‘Tax Relief Nebraska’ shows it is perhaps the most deceptive ballot initiative campaign in the history of Nebraska politics,” says Nebraska Family Association executive director Nate Grasz.

“The honeymoon phase for online sports betting is over. If the initiative is as popular as its supporters claim, they shouldn’t be afraid to lead with online sports betting rather than hide behind false promises of property tax relief,” Nebraska Family Association executive director Nate Grasz told The Plains Sentinel via email.

“Proponents assume that with enough money they can buy their way into Nebraska, but they’re going to find out that the more people learn about the numbers, the out-of-state money, the impact on kids, and the regret from other states, they’re going to have a real fight,” Grasz added.

The Plains Sentinel is not able to independently verify that the man in the video is affiliated with Tax Relief Nebraska.

For its part, Tax Relief Nebraska strongly objects to claims made by the Nebraska Family Alliance and suggests the alleged circulator in the video is not connected with the group.

“There is no evidence that the person in the edited video from an anonymous source is actually a circulator for our campaign. Our circulator team cannot identify the person, and there is no visible proof that the individual is actually carrying our petitions or is in any way affiliated with our effort,” Tax Relief Nebraska said in an emailed statement to The Plains Sentinel.

Tax Relief Nebraska furnished copies of the petition templates to The Plains Sentinel, one of which reads “The object of this petition is to: Amend the Nebraska Constitution to state that laws may be enacted allowing sports wagers to be placed within the State of Nebraska through an Internet-based platform offered by an authorized gaming operator.”

The second petition begins, “The object of this petition is to: Enact a statute allowing sports wagers to be placed within the State of Nebraska through Internet-based platforms offered by an authorized gaming operator, or its contracted platform provider, and regulate such sports wagers.”

Both forms bear red-lettered all-caps disclosure that, “THIS PETITION IS CIRCULATED BY A PAID CIRCULATOR.”

While the man in the video reviewed by The Plains Sentinel is seen holding a clipboard, neither of the petition forms is seen on camera, nor does he read from them at any point in the video.

“Our circulators are trained and required to read the petition’s object statement to everyone who volunteers to sign,” said Tax Relief Nebraska. “These object statements clearly explain that the initiative’s intent is to allow for sports wagers to be placed through internet-based platforms. Circulators are allowed and encouraged to say that the revenue generated will stay in Nebraska and be dedicated primarily to property tax relief.”

“The Nebraska Family Alliance is in denial about the current reality of mobile sports wagering,” the statement added. “Nebraskans are already placing wagers through illegal or unregulated platforms, or they’re simply driving to one of the five surrounding states with legal mobile sports wagering. The Nebraska Attorney General’s office says illegal online gaming is estimated to exceed more than $400 billion in volume annually, leading to more than $4 billion in lost tax revenue for states including Nebraska.”

Regardless of whether the individual in the video is connected to Tax Relief Nebraska, petition signers may have a change of heart after thinking over the issue, and those who wish to do so have a right to ask the state to strike their name from petition rolls.

“Individuals who have signed a petition and wish to remove their signature may do so, and should contact their county election office or the Nebraska Secretary of State’s office for additional information on how to remove their signature,” Nebraska Family Alliance said in their June 18 article, providing a link to a printable affidavit form to submit for that purpose.

Such affidavits “must be presented at the filing office prior to or on the day of the filing of said petition for verification,” according to the Nebraska Family Alliance document.

The deadline for petitioning for ballot access for a voter initiative this year is Thursday, July 2.

An organizer with Tax Relief Nebraska previously told The Plains Sentinel he was confident that their organization would have more than enough signatures to match the minimum signature requirement by the deadline.

“When our work is done, we will have collected hundreds of thousands of signatures from Nebraskans who support this issue. Nebraskans will put this on the ballot. Nebraskans will vote to approve, and Nebraskans will create and regulate the marketplace” for online sports wagering, the organizer said.

— Ken Shepherd is a freelance reporter with The Plains Sentinel. He is a former editor at Fox News Digital and the Washington Times.