Nebraska secretary of state testifies before Congress on election security

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – On Tuesday, Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen testified in Washington about election security.

Last November, Nebraskans voted to require photo ID at the polls to secure the voting process, but it hasn’t been implemented yet.

“I’ve supported voter ID for many years,” Evnen told the U.S. Senate’s Rules and Administration Committee. “My office estimates that between 97 and 98% of registered voters in our state already have state-issued photo IDs. I am confident that effective legislation will be passed that will carry out Nebraska’s new voter identification requirement without disenfranchising any legitimate voter.”

He and Sen. Deb Fischer, who is on the committee, agreed that election decisions should be left to each state.

“This is what our Founding Fathers intended,” Fischer said. “Our role in Congress is to support state and local election officials in this important work rather than burden them with a ‘one-size-fits-all’ federalized takeover that is ill-suited to the needs and priorities of various jurisdictions.”

Evnen also spoke on what he considers to be the greatest threat to election security: early voting.

“The challenges that come with early voting include the opportunity to pressure or intimidate voters and the possibility of vote-buying efforts,” Evnen said. “The potential for this sort of fraud is intensifying as these early voting methods become more ubiquitous.”