Voter ID in Nebraska set to take effect for 2024 primary

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office announced this week that the 2024 primary will be the first in which voters are required to show a photo ID.

You can use your driver’s license of state-issued ID.

Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen said 97% of Nebraskans already have such forms of ID.

“So there’s a very small percentage of people who need other forms,” he said.

You can also use your passport, military ID, tribal ID or several other options.

IDs must include your name and photo. They can still be used even if they’re expired.

For those who don’t have a photo ID, the Department of Motor Vehicles will provide one for free for voting purposes.

Last session, the Nebraska Legislature passed a voter ID bill required by a ballot initiative.

Voter ID has always been a hot-button issue, with opponents saying there aren’t vast cases of voter fraud, so it’s not needed.

But Evnen said the point of voter ID is to stay ahead of the curve on election security.

“Why do we have vaults in banks? Why don’t we just wait and see if the banks get robbed?” he said. “And then if they are, we can decide whether we want to put a vault in.”

Evnen said it’s equally important to not disenfranchise voters or discourage them from voting.

“What we have to do is implement voter ID in a way that helps us secure our elections without discouraging people from voting,” Evnen said.

That includes allowing voters who submit ballots by mail or drop box to write their state ID number down or submit a photocopy of their passport or other approved ID when they submit their ballot application.

But keep in mind, if you live in one of the 11 counties that exclusively vote by mail, you would submit the same info, but with your returned ballot instead.

Nebraska’s primary is set for May 14.

If you want to learn more about the new requirements for voting, visit the secretary of state’s website.