Omaha World-Herald (May 9, 2017)
LINCOLN — A controversial voter identification measure died quickly Tuesday on the floor of the Nebraska Legislature, but not before its sponsor vowed to start working on its resurrection.
Lawmakers voted 25-17 in favor of a motion to end a filibuster, but that was well short of the 33 votes needed to overcome the delay tactic used by opponents of the voter ID resolution.
State Sen. John Murante said he remains convinced that a strong majority of Nebraskans would support a law requiring voters to show photo ID before casting their ballots. He pledged to spend the next eight months working on a new bill or another proposed constitutional amendment to enact voter ID next year.
“If you don’t accept the election results, if you don’t have confidence in the election system, we are jeopardizing the peaceful transfer of power in this nation,” Murante said.
Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha said minorities have paid with their lives to gain access to the voting booth. For that reason, he promised to fight the voter ID resolution for the rest of the legislative session if necessary.
“I cannot talk about this like I talk about anything else,” he said. “This voting has resulted in black people being lynched.”
Yet the outcome of the filibuster vote means the measure won’t be debated again this session, which could be ending four days earlier than expected. Sen. Jim Scheer of Norfolk, the speaker of the Legislature, announced that he believes adjournment will take place May 23.
Lawmakers spent only one hour debating the voter ID resolution Tuesday, instead of the six hours typically devoted to bills before they reach a filibuster vote.
Murante, who sponsored and prioritized the resolution, said he knew he did not have the votes to break a filibuster so he did not want to spend more time debating the measure.
“Everyone’s mind was made up,” he said.
The resolution would have asked voters in 2018 if they wanted to amend the Nebraska Constitution to require voter ID. It would have then been left to senators to come up with a law spelling out the details, including the type of ID required and how to pay for it for voters who could not afford one.
