Nebraska’s primary election on May 14, 2024 will be the first where voters will be required to present a photo ID in order to vote, thanks to a ballot initiative that was approved in 2022. Registered voters can expect to see fliers and mailers telling them all about it soon.
Secretary of State Bob Evnen spoke to the River City Republicans on Thursday about his task to let voters know about the new requirement to avoid any potential chaos that might occur on election day. “The nightmare scenario is that you have people lined up for miles at a polling place,” Evnen said. “And these IDs are taking forever for people to dig out of their jeans and show to people. And do they have it or don’t they?”
The 98% of voters who have a driver’s license already may use it as their photo ID. Other acceptable forms of photo ID include a passport, a military ID, a tribal ID, a Nebraska political subdivision ID, or a Nebraska college or university ID. Voters who forget to bring a photo ID with them on election day can vote with a provisional ballot and then visit their election commissioner’s office to show a photo ID within a week of election day.
There are exceptions for the photo ID requirement on the grounds of disability and religious objections, which are required by a Supreme Court ruling. Those voting early will have to visit to the election commissioner’s office and present an ID to receive a ballot, and those voting by mail or drop box will have to include their driver’s license number or equivalent when requesting a ballot.
Donald Trump and the 14th Amendment
Evnen also spoke briefly about efforts by Democrats to keep Donald Trump off ballots in Colorado, Maine, and other states based on the “insurrection” clause of the 14th amendment. “I’ve received correspondence that urges me to keep Donald Trump off the ballot under this provision,” Evnen said. “And lately, I started to receive communications from people who tell me I should keep Joe Biden off the ballot under this provision … he’s done plenty of things that have to do with aiding and comforting the enemy, at least you could allege such a thing.”
The decisions both by the Colorado Supreme Court and the Secretary of State in Maine are now before the United States Supreme Court, and Trump’s name will remain on the ballot in both states at least until those case are decided. “I thought, you know, maybe it’d be fun to keep them both off,” Evnen said. “[But] my job is not to have fun … It seems to me incredibly arrogant for one person in the executive branch to make a decision for an entire state. And there are a lot of Democrats that have expressed opposition to this idea.”
