Voter ID mandate goes smoothly at polls across Nebraska

May 14, 2024, 6 p.m. ·

Voter ID reminder sign outside of the Air Park Community Center
A sign reminds voters they need a photo ID to vote this year. (Bill Kelly, Nebraska Public Media)

For the first time in Nebraska history, voters are required to show photo identification at the polls before voting.

Despite some concern ahead of Tuesday's primary election, there was little confusion according to Hall County Election Commissioner Tracy Overstreet. She said the election was running smoothly in her area.

“I'm a little bit surprised, because whenever you make a really substantive change after 20 years of training someone to do something, usually there's a pretty big learning curve,” Overstreet said. “I was kind of anticipating a few more snags, maybe.”

Overstreet said that 65 % of Nebraskans wanted the voter ID law, which may have been a factor in voters being willing to comply with the new rule. Some voters believed it would help prevent fraudulent voting. Another reason Overstreet pointed out was the Secretary of State's Office worked to educate the public about the new law.

Civic Nebraska also said there was mild confusion about the rule.

Director of Communications Steve Smith was cautiously optimistic on Tuesday that the new regulations would continue to go well.

“I'd say the storyline right now is, you know, minus a few minor bumps things are going really well," Smith said.

State officials predicted a 35% voter turnout out of Nebraska’s 1.2 million eligible voters.

A list of acceptable forms of identification can be found on the Nebraska Secretary of State’s website.