Next week, the Nebraska Legislature is expected to debate a measure that imposes photo identification requirements on every Nebraska voter. This has been an arduous process from the start of the 2023 session, which began back in early January.
What we know right now:
Since early February, the Legislature’s Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee has spent countless hours wrestling with four separate voter ID bills. It has listened to Nebraskans’ concerns and has worked in good faith across ideological lines to craft a workable bill to present to the full Legislature.
This process has hit an 11th-hour snag. Earlier this week, the Omaha World-Herald reported on an ongoing disagreement on the measure’s specifics between the Committee and the lawmaker who authored the original bill.
We’re not surprised. It’s one thing to put a vaguely worded ballot measure before voters under the cover of “election security” and pick up a fleeting electoral win. But it’s another thing entirely to write an actual law that doesn’t violate our state Constitution, which specifically forbids any hindrances and impediments to voting.
What you can do right now:
Regardless of what the final version of the bill may include, any voter ID bill will compromise Nebraska’s free and fair elections. Before the debate begins, we need you to contact your state senator to demand that they resist pressure to pass a bill that will restrict access to the polls or intimidate voters with threats of “citizenship investigations.”
All registered voters must be allowed to vote. Our constitutional rights must be honored. As floor debate on voter ID approaches, let’s be sure lawmakers know this.
Find your state senator here. And thank you, sincerely, for all that you do.
– Your friends and neighbors at Civic Nebraska
