LINCOLN, Neb. (KMTV) — A bill to require voter identification came back to the Nebraska Legislature on Wednesday. There were a few members of the public giving arguments as to why they thought it would secure Nebraska elections. At times, the hearing veered toward conspiracy theories.
There were claims from testifiers of multiple ballots being sent to them, others urged lawmakers to require hand counting of ballots and ditch the software companies because they can be hacked. All of this is without evidence.
A math teacher from Ohio, Douglas Frank, told the committee of his analysis that Nebraska's election was fraudulent.
This has already been formally rejected by Republican Secretary of State Bob Evnen, who recently showed a PowerPoint presentation that Frank was wrong.
Frank said he hasn’t met with Evnen.
“I would love to have him try to rebut my work but I haven’t had the opportunity,” said Frank.
The actual bill would require an individual to show their ID in order to vote in person and by mail. To do that, Nebraskans would need a copy of a driver's license, passport, bank statement, government check or utility bill.
“So we need to work together to find a way to ease the fears of the citizens,” said Sen. John Lowe, who took over the bill from former senator Mike Groene when he resigned.
Hall County Election Commissioner Tracy Overstreet said the special envelope required for this would be extremely burdensome, that they have no way of validating identification, and that some — like members of the military and college students — don’t live at their formal home addresses.
“So those people will not be able to provide that documentation, and I think that leads to disenfranchisement,” said Overstreet.
Others say the process of getting a copy of an ID is not easy for younger and poorer people.
“How many of us have a copier or a printer, how many of us know how to use one? How many of us know where to find one, can travel there easily and pay for the parking, gas and cost of a photocopy?” asked Zuha Qadeer.
Multiple attempts in the past to require voter ID have failed in committee and on the floor of the Unicameral.
Other bills discussed would ban ballots from being counted until 9 P.M. Central Time on election night, and another in a different committee would establish voter fraud to be a felony.
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