Nebraskans could register to vote online and would have to present a photo ID in certain situations under a pair of bills that will have a public hearing next week. Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha has introduced three bills relating to elections and voting on behalf of Secretary of State John Gale. The Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee will hear testimony on the bills on Thursday. One of the bills would allow Nebraskans with a driver’s license or state identification card to register to vote or to update their voting information online. Thirteen states have online voter registration, Gale said.
The secretary of state would develop the system and the Department of Motor Vehicles would be allowed to provide the last four digits of a voter’s Social Security number, Gale said. The drivers’ licenses and Social Security numbers would be used to check with national records and other states to see where a voter is registered. The system would not be available until the 2016 election, Gale said. “This is really this-century data, this-century capability,” Krist said.
The second bill would require a current photographic document, such as a driver’s license or a state ID card, to vote in situations involving first-time voters and those who don’t return change of address confirmation cards.
Although there is “no evidence of systemic voter fraud in Nebraska,” Gale said the bill he backs would address areas where there is a potential for fraud.
Full Article: Neb. bills would require voter ID in some cases.