(KFOR NEWS  January 13, 2020)  John Cartier, director of voting rights at Civic Nebraska, made the following statement Friday following the introduction of LR292CA, a proposed constitutional amendment opening the door to voter ID, in the Nebraska Legislature:

“Today, Nebraskans are again called upon to fight a harmful voter ID proposal after LR292CA was introduced in the Nebraska Legislature. No one can point to a voter impersonation fraud conviction in our state – or even a tangible problem of voter fraud – and combating this myth could waste millions of taxpayer dollars while risking the disenfranchisement of thousands of Nebraska voters.

“It’s easy to create hype around voter ID. But it never results in good policymaking or more secure elections. This proposed constitutional amendment, just like its failed predecessors, is unnecessary, violates Nebraska values, and will result in a wildly expensive legislative solution to a problem that simply does not exist.

 

“If senators wish to modernize our state’s election infrastructure, we will happily work with them to pass useful reforms – such as improving voter registration at the Department of Motor Vehicles, nonpartisan redistricting, or bills like LB163 that allow counties the freedom to conduct elections using a vote-by-mail standard.

 

“As we’ve seen in other states, legislation that expands access to the ballot box works. Voter ID laws, on the other hand, only increase wasteful government bureaucracy and deny eligible Americans their right to vote.”