LINCOLN, Neb. – The ACLU of Nebraska is urging state senators to respect Nebraskans’ right to vote by rejecting LR3CA, which would require a photo ID to vote, and also rejecting LB76, a bill that proposes changing Nebraska’s Electoral College allocation to a winner-take-all system.
By contrast, the organization welcomes the introduction of LB11, which improves the early voting process, and LR10CA, a constitutional amendment that would restore the right to vote to currently disenfranchised Nebraskans.
In the opinion of the ACLU, Voter ID requirements create unnecessary barriers to the ballot box. The U.S. Government Accountability Office has estimated voter ID requirements can reduce voter turnout by as much as 3% – keeping thousands of otherwise eligible voters from the polls.
LB76, sponsored by Peru Sen. Julie Slama would change apportionment of Nebraska’s electoral college votes. The ACLU says change to a winner-take-all Electoral College system would similarly hurt election participation by signaling to voters of all political parties that their votes for president and vice president carry less importance.
ACLU of Nebraska Executive Director Danielle Conrad noted introduction of the proposals follows historic turnout in a secure general election.
“You can draw a direct link to these disappointing voter suppression efforts from what we witnessed in our nation’s capital: leaders putting politicians over voters and perpetuating false narratives,” Conrad said. “Attacks on voting rights are attacks on Nebraskans of color, the elderly, people with disabilities and lower-income communities. Now more than ever, it’s incumbent on us all to fiercely protect our free and fair elections in Nebraska. We need to expand – not contract – voting rights because every American knows voting is the cornerstone of our democracy and the fundamental right upon which all our civil liberties rest.”
