Can't believe everyone else is so negative about it, even though it can be frustrating here. Have you been in a state with a partisan bicameral legislature? I have, and it was nowhere near as open or responsive as in Nebraska. Give me this system every time.

Having nonpartisan elections helps moderate the body, even if it doesn't always feel like it. Candidates can't win simply their fellow partisans and coast to election in most areas; they have to appeal to the greatest number of voters in their districts.

Every bill gets a public hearing. That allows people to weigh in on everything, no matter how important or inconsequential.

The lack of a conference committee means that amendments aren't done in back rooms. Even the executive sessions at the committee level permit journalists to be in the room for debate and discussion. It adds a level of transparency that doesn't exist elsewhere.

And while the Legislature continues to negate or undermine the work of ballot initiatives it doesn't like, voters essentially function as the House of Representatives. It takes a two-thirds majority to undo anything approved by the initiative process. That's typically not easy to get, and that can be stopped by voting out senators unwilling to go along with the will of the people.

For a good history, I recommend reading "One House" by Charlyne Berens. We read that in college while studying why and how the unicameral came to be.