内布拉斯加州奥马哈——内布拉斯加州一项要求政府颁发照片身份证明才能投票的运动已经开始收集签名,将这个问题提交给2022年的将军选举选票。
选民身份公民组织表示,他们从周四开始收集签名。州议员一再拒绝通过选民身份法的尝试,促使竞选组织者寻求选民批准州宪法修正案。
请愿书发起人之一斯特林的共和党州参议员朱莉·斯拉马(Julie Slama)说:“内布拉斯加州人民经常被称为第二议院,我们的委员会正在确保他们的声音能被那些在国会大厦有影响力的特殊利益集团听到。
如果该措施获得通过,官方无党派立法机构的立法者将不得不决定该政策的细节,包括什么将被视为有效的身份证明。他们还需要决定法律将如何适用于通过邮件投票的人,以及州政府将如何向没有身份证的人提供免费身份证。
在内布拉斯加州的推动下,其他保守的州也颁布了身份证要求,要求在投票站投票,尽管没有足够的证据表明存在欺诈性投票。一些州也开始瞄准邮寄选票,包括佛罗里达州和格鲁吉亚。内布拉斯加州是14个州中的一个,加上哥伦比亚特区,这些州对投票没有任何身份要求。
对于那些有,要求各不相同。一些州强制要求有照片的身份证明,而另一些州允许无照片的身份证明,还有一些州提供身份证的替代方案,例如让投票工作人员为选民担保。
在内布拉斯加州,请愿书循环器需要收集10%的登记州选民的签名,即大约124,000人。他们还必须收集内布拉斯加州93个县中38个县至少5%的登记选民的签名——这一要求旨在确保一些签名者来自农村地区。
与此同时,投票权倡导组织“内布拉斯加州公民”计划发起一场“拒绝签名”运动,以阻止人们签名。该组织由林肯的民主党州参议员亚当·莫尔菲尔德创建和领导,认为该提案将使投票变得更加困难,并花费州政府的资金来实施。
该组织在一份声明中说:“每个珍视我们州‘法律面前人人平等’座右铭的内布拉斯加州人都应该受到严重困扰。
内布拉斯加州共和党呼吁进行州选民身份认证,而内布拉斯加州民主党则表示反对。
这项措施的其他支持者是内布拉斯加州共和党全国主席、前州参议员莉迪亚·布拉施和前道格拉斯县共和党主席、来自奥马哈的南希·麦凯布。
Nebraska voter ID ballot drive begins gathering signatures
OMAHA, Neb. -- A campaign to require a government-issued photo identification to vote in Nebraska has started collecting signatures to place the issue on the 2022 generalelectionballot.
Citizens for Voter ID said it started gathering signatures Thursday. State lawmakers have repeatedly rejected attempts to pass a voter identification law, prompting campaign organizers to seek voter approval for a state constitutional amendment.
“The people of Nebraska are often referred to as the second house and our committee is making sure that their voice is heard over those of the special interests with influence in the Capitol,” said Republican state Sen. Julie Slama, of Sterling, one of the petition sponsors.
If the measure passes, lawmakers in the officially nonpartisan Legislature would have to determine details about the policy, including what would count as valid identification. They would also need to decide how the law would apply to people who vote by mail and how the state would provide free IDs to those who don't have one.
The push in Nebraska follows other conservative states that have enacted ID requirements to vote at the polls, even though there’s scant evidence of fraudulent voting. Some states have started targeting mail-in ballots as well, includingFloridaand Georgia. Nebraska is one of 14 states, plus the District of Columbia, which don’t impose any identification requirement to vote.
For those that have, the requirements vary. Some states mandate photo identifications, while others allow non-photo identifications and still others offer alternatives to an ID card, such as having a poll worker vouch for the voter.
In Nebraska, petition circulators need to collect signatures from 10% of registered state voters, or about 124,000 people. They also must gather signatures from at least 5% of the registered voters in 38 of Nebraska's 93 counties — a requirement designed to ensure that some signers are from rural areas.
Meanwhile, the voting-rights advocacy group Civic Nebraska plans to spearhead a “Decline to Sign” campaign to discourage people from signing. The group, founded and directed by Democratic state Sen. Adam Morfeld, of Lincoln, argues that the proposal would make it harder to vote and cost the state money to implement.
“Every Nebraskan who cherishes our state’s motto of ‘Equality Before the Law’ should be seriously troubled,” the group said in a statement.
The Nebraska Republican Party has called for a state voter identification, while the Nebraska Democratic Party has voiced opposition.
The other sponsors of the measure are Nebraska Republican Party National Chairwoman Lydia Brasch, a former state senator, and Nancy McCabe of Omaha, a former chairwoman of the Douglas County Republican Party.