2 weeks Ago
In spite of repeated assurances that Nebraska offers the “gold standard” in election security compared to the rest of the nation, state lawmakers spent more than three hours Thursday questioning whether more could be done to shore up the state’s defenses. The Nebraska Legislature’s Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee held a public hearing on LR357, brought by State Sen. Rick Holdcroft of Bellevue, which seeks to determine if there is a need to bolster election security.
Concerns about voter fraud rose after the 2020 presidential election, driven in part by former President Donald Trump’s unfounded claims that the election was rigged. Nebraska’s elections officials have repeatedly said that there was no credible evidence of widespread fraud in the state. Officials across the nation and in other states have provided similar assurances.
People are also reading...
Holdcroft, however, said his resolution is not meant to rehash concerns about past elections, but to give Nebraskans more confidence that future elections are safe and secure. While he said he has confidence in the state’s elections, he raised several concerns about areas he believes should be improved, particularly regarding mail-in voting. He said the number of mail-in ballots submitted in Nebraska’s elections has “exploded” in some counties, in part because of eligibility expansions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said the signatures required on mail-in ballots do not provide enough fraud prevention, and don’t comply with the state’s new voter ID measure. In 2022, voters passed a ballot measure that required voter ID statewide. This year’s primary election was the first time the new law took effect, and Deputy Secretary of State Wayne Bena claimed it was one of the most successful implementations of such a law in the U.
S., reporting that fewer than 80 voters statewide did not bring their IDs to their polling locations. In order to file a mail-in ballot, voters must first submit an application that includes their ID numbers.
Holdcroft said he would support limiting the eligibility of mail-in voting to only allow people with “a valid excuse” to do so. “Voting by mail is a privilege, not a right,” Holdcroft said. Several Nebraska counties with fewer than 10,000 residents run elections exclusively through mail-in ballots, and some of them did so before the pandemic.
Holdcroft said he doesn’t have an issue with smaller counties using all-mail voting, nor does he have an issue with military members mailing in ballots. His concern is in larger areas like Douglas County, where Election Commissioner Brian Kruse said approximately 125,000 residents prefer voting by mail. Kruse, who testified at the hearing, said a majority of Douglas County residents who vote by mail submit their ballots via drop boxes, which are monitored by cameras 24/7.
Election workers pick up the ballots delivered to those boxes and bring them directly to their office, he said. Seward County also uses drop boxes for mail-in ballots, according to County Clerk Sherry Schweitzer. She said she was unsure how the boxes could be used for fraudulent voting given the current safeguards in place.
Some concerns about election integrity also focus on the use of technology, particularly in machines used to submit ballots or count votes. Chris Wlaschin, senior vice president of Omaha-based company Election Systems & Software — which supplies election equipment to multiple states, including Nebraska — said there have been zero attacks on their machines that would have changed the results of an election. Wlaschin said Nebraska’s election systems are safe, primarily because the state employs experienced election clerks, and a majority of voters fill out paper ballots, which is easier for auditing.
“We do elections right here, in this state,” Wlaschin said. Wlaschin said his company has complied with forensic audits on their equipment in other states, and would comply with a similar audit in Nebraska if lawmakers wished for one. Lawmakers express doubts Despite the repeated assurances from testifiers, committee members expressed doubts.
After Kruse detailed the multi-step process his office takes in counting votes and sending them to the Secretary of State’s Office, Sen. Steve Halloran of Hastings said he believed there were vulnerabilities. Bena noted that each step offers a paper trail where elections officials can print out information and double-check accuracy.
Before the end of an election night, he said workers also verify their final reports with their records. Halloran at one point attempted to negotiate with Bena on an audit of his office, proposing his own “ethical hacker” to do it. Bena would not commit to such an audit, saying his office would need to vet the conductor first.
Sen. Rita Sanders of Bellevue asked Kruse if it would ever be possible to return to the days when Nebraskan ran its elections without the use of early or mail-in voting. Kruse estimated the last time Nebraska did that was in the '90s, and said doing so now would likely be extremely difficult, upset voters and invite multiple lawsuits.
Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln questioned the point of Holdcroft’s resolution, given that he admitted he has not seen any credible evidence of voter fraud in Nebraska. She warned lawmakers against “perpetuating myths and misinformation” about mail voting, claiming it was a form of voter suppression.
Bena also cautioned against questioning election security with no evidence, referencing an incident earlier this week where his office received a suspicious envelope that was ultimately found to contain nonhazardous material, but was meant to intimidate. He said “unreasonable expectations” about election systems can pose dangers to election workers, and asked that future attempts at changes start with acknowledging that Nebraska has the “gold standard” in election security, unless there is evidence shown that proves otherwise. Halloran said the burden of proof lies with elections officials to show there is nothing amiss, not with the people who have concerns.
Bena answered that by saying his office has provided that proof. Correction: Sen. Rita Sanders' question to Douglas County Election Commissioner Brian Kruse was about early and mail-in voting.
An earlier version of this article misidentified her question. Election officials are taking actions to protect their workers, volunteers and voters amid concerns of heightened political rhetoric and threats (AP video: Mike Householder and Christina A. Cassidy) The Journal Star's complete coverage of Nebraska's 2024 primary election Here's the Journal Star's complete coverage of Nebraska's 2024 primary election.
2024 Nebraska primary: Lincoln-area legislative races show clear winners Election results in Nebraska's 2024 primary election have begun rolling in. Follow along for live updates. Bosn shoots out to lead; Ballard outpacing challengers in Lincoln legislative races The second batch of Election Day results helped Sen.
Carolyn Bosn grow her lead over challenger Nicki Behmer Popp in the race for District 25. Nebraska congressional incumbents easily defeat challengers in GOP primary U.S.
Sens. Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts and Reps. Mike Flood and Adrian Smith won their GOP primaries and advance to the November general election.
Nebraska marijuana party candidate tied to Dan Osborn wins primary, mulls future Kerry Eddy, who joined the Legal Marijuana NOW Party and sought its U.S. Senate nomination in an effort to boost Dan Osborn's run for Senate, .
.. Waverly voters appear to reject largest bond issue in school history The Waverly bond issue was failing by more than a 2-1 margin as of 10:25 p.
m. Tuesday night. Nebraska State Board of Education races become clearer after primary votes Primary voters narrowed the field Tuesday in two races for the Nebraska State Board of Education, although the final outcome wasn't entirely d.
.. Primary results suggest Nebraska partisans ready for Joe Biden vs.
Donald Trump rematch If Tuesday’s primary results are any indication, Nebraskans appear ready for another Joe Biden vs. Donald Trump race for the White House. Rep.
Don Bacon fends off Trump-aligned primary challenger Dan Frei in Nebraska primary Incumbent Rep. Don Bacon held off populist challenger Dan Frei in the Republican primary for Nebraska’s 2nd District seat in the U.S.
House of...
Minimal problems with Nebraska's new voter ID law, officials say Voters reported minimal issues with Nebraska's new voter ID requirements in the first election since the new law took effect. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter..
