By Don Walton
Lincoln Journal Star
October 12, 2017
LINCOLN — With a federal commitment in hand to help states manage risks to their election infrastructure, Sen. John Murante of Gretna said he will step up his efforts to establish voter photo identification requirements in Nebraska.
“The people of Nebraska absolutely support and demand voter identification,” Murante said during a Capitol news conference on Oct. 12.
“Properly crafted voter ID laws do not suppress voter turnout,” he said. “This can be done without turning a single voter away.”
Murante already has a proposal pending in the Legislature that would seek a vote of the people on a constitutional amendment to establish voter ID requirements in Nebraska. Senators could resume discussion of that item when they launch their 2018 session in January.
The measure (LR1CA) was trapped at first-stage floor consideration by a filibuster last spring, falling seven votes short of the 33 senators required to end debate.
Murante’s motion to invoke cloture failed on a 26-17 count.
On Thursday, Murante once again rejected arguments that voter photo ID requirements suppress, and are sometimes designed to suppress, voter participation.
Opponents argue that minority citizens, older Americans, people with disabilities, students and young mobile Americans are particularly affected. Most of those impacted groups represent traditional pockets of Democratic support, critics have noted.
Murante said voter identification requirements are “a common sense proposal that has been politicized, and demonized to a certain extent.”
Voter ID assurances are especially needed now when “public confidence in our election system has been undermined” by reports of voter irregularities and instances of voter fraud, he said.
