The legislative proposal to require photo IDs for voters in Nebraska ran into a buzz saw of opposition Tuesday during floor debate that signaled the beginning of a filibuster that will resume Wednesday. The bill (LB111) sponsored by Sen. Tyson Larson of O’Neill would require voters to show a government-issued photo ID, but provides for acquisition of a state card at no cost for voters who may not have a photo ID. Opponents said there is no evidence of voter fraud to suggest that the new requirement is needed and that the result would be an impediment to voting that would tend to depress, if not actively suppress, voter turnout. Larson said the requirement is needed to “protect the integrity and reliability of the electoral process.”
Sen. John Murante of Gretna said he believes “not a single voter will be turned away from the polls.”
But Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha described the bill as “treacherous, disingenuous and racist,” a proposal designed to “suppress the vote of black people.”
Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln said the bill “imposes on a fundamental constitutional right, (to solve) a nonexistent problem.”
National statistics indicate that voter fraud is “less likely than being struck by lightning,” Sen. Jeremy Nordquist of Omaha said.
Full Article: Voter photo ID bill prompts filibuster : Politics.