Nebraska has a new voter ID law that requires all registered voters in the state to present a photo identification (ID) when voting in a Nebraska election.
Hall County Election Commissioner Tracy Overstreet said Thursday, Feb. 1, that the majority of Hall County voters have either a Nebraska driver’s license or a Nebraska state ID (from the Department of Motor Vehicles) that they can use for identification.
She estimated that about 300 Hall County residents will have to provide some other form of photo ID.
She said that some of those people may be older residents who do not have a driver’s license or state ID. The state ID is available for people who, for instance, no longer have a driver’s license and is available from the Department of Motor Vehicles office in the Hall County Administration Building.
“We’re just trying to educate the public about what these changes are,” Overstreet said.
Her office has scheduled a series of voter ID information sessions at the Grand Island Public Library. A separate story provides information about those sessions.
“Voter ID in Nebraska is a photo ID requirement,” Overstreet said. “We want to let people know what type of photo ID is valid at the polling places and also for early voting.” The important thing about the ID is the need to see the voter’s name and photo together.
One of the most common questions her office has received is are people going to be able to vote by mail. The answer to that question is yes.
“The application is going to look different,” Overstreet said. People will provide ID information on the application.
“People who go to the polling site can use an expired ID, such as an expired driver’s license,” Overstreet said.
Other acceptable forms of photo IDs are a Nebraska college ID (public or private), a Nebraska political subdivision ID (state, county, city, school, etc.), a United States passport, a military ID, a tribal ID, or a hospital, assisted living facility, or nursing home record. All IDs must include the person’s name and photo.
This is how voter ID will work:
*Voting in person at the polls: Present a photo ID or vote provisionally.
*Voting early at the election office: Present a photo ID or vote provisionally.
*Voting early by mail: Write driver’s license/state ID number on ballot application or enclose a copy of photo or reasonable impediment certification with your ballot application.
*Voting in by-mail precincts or by-mail special elections: Write driver’s license/state ID number on ballot return envelope or enclose a copy of a photo ID or reasonable impediment certification in your ballot return envelope.
If a person shows up to vote and has forgotten the ID, the person will fill out a provisional ballot. For the ballot to count, the person will need to present a photo ID to the county election office on or before the Tuesday after the election.
If someone needs to get a copy of a birth certificate to get a free state ID, the person can get a free certified copy of the Nebraska birth certificate from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. This is only available if the person does not have an ID and needs to get a state ID for voting purposes.
If a person cannot get an ID due to disability/illness, religious objection to being photographed, or lack of documents to obtain a free state ID, the person can complete a reasonable impediment certification.
In the 2022 election, Nebraska voters passed a constitutional amendment requiring photo ID in Nebraska elections. In response, the Nebraska Legislature passed legislation that enacted Nebraska’s new voter ID law.
IDs that will not be accepted are birth certificate, Medicare or Medicaid card, out-of-state driver’s license, out-of-state college ID, Social Security card, store membership card, utility bill, bank statement, or voter acknowledgement card. A photo ID from a Nebraska private high school is not considered an acceptable form of ID.
If a poll worker determines that the photo does not resemble the person voting or they believe the ID may be fake, the voter may cast a provisional ballot, and the vote will be counted when or if they present an acceptable form of photo ID to the county election office on or before the Tuesday following the election. If the same ID is presented during the curing period and both the poll worker and election official are unable to verify it is the person, the ballot would not count.
On election day, poll workers will look for the voter’s photo and the voter’s name on the photo ID. An acceptable photo ID for voting does not need to include an expiration date, does not need to include an address, can be expired, or can contain an out-of-date address. Even if the poll worker knows the voter, the voter needs to present a photo ID.
The voter at the polls must present the original photo ID to vote, whether that’s at the polls, early in person at the election office or on or before the Tuesday after the election when voting provisionally. The voter cannot show a photocopy or an image of their photo ID on their phone to an election official in person rather than presenting the original photo ID.
For more information, contact Hall County Election Commissioner Tracy Overstreet. Her office is in the Hall County Administration Building, 121 S. Pine St., Suite 8. The phone number for the Election Commissioner’s office is 308-385-5085.
