Last year, the Nebraska Republican Party drew a firm line in the sand with State Senators, committing that they would "not support in any manner" those who refused to buckle to the party's demand that the state change its electoral college vote to winner-take-all. This unprecedented partisan strong-arming in our nonpartisan legislature is sure to have had a role in Sen. Brad Ashford's decision to leave the Republican Party. The threat also drew a very prescient warning from its then-intended target, Sen. Paul Schumacher, who stated:
"A small group of partisans is simply testing its power to dictate to the Legislature. This year it is winner-take-all, and what next year and the year after that?"
Well, here we are the next year and Schumacher's prediction was absolutely right. A reader just forwarded an e-mail from NEGOP Executive Director Jordan McGrain pressuring 13 Republican State Senators to support the controversial Voter ID legislation (LB239). This bill has been promoted as a defense against voter fraud. However, proponents haven't been able to offer a single example of the sort of voter fraud that this legislation might prevent.
Unable to show that they're addressing a real problem, it's clear this is just the local manifestation of an orchestrated national effort to suppress voting by minority, youth, and low-income voters. In Nebraska, the confusion surrounding this exemption-littered legislation is sure to take a toll on senior citizens exercising their civil rights as well.
It's because of these concerns that the NEGOP has to send the following message to Republican activists:
TELL GOP STATE SENATORS YOU SUPPORT THE VOTER ID BILL
Your help is needed to defeat the liberal special interests, Democrat-led filibuster
....Voter fraud is a growing problem in this country....There is a high possibility that unchecked voter fraud will decide an election in 2012...
Despite the massive public and judicial support for Voter ID laws in our state and around the country, passage of Nebraska's Voter ID act is in peril. LB 239, introduced by Sen. Charlie Janssen of Fremont and prioritized by Sen. Ken Schilz of Ogallala, has been targeted by a dishonest campaign from every liberal special interest in the phonebook. A Democrat-led filibuster in the Legislature is guaranteed, and 33 votes are needed to move this bill forward and ensure the future integrity of our elections in Nebraska.
Unfortunately, some of our Republican state senators remain undecided on their support of this bill, in what has become a partisan issue. Every organization lined up in opposition to the Voter ID act is led by a liberal Democrat, and the Democrats in the Legislature have banded together to defeat this bill. It is imperative that Nebraska Republicans make their voices heard on this critical issue!
What follows is a list of GOP senators that need to hear from you. Email them, call them, find them on Facebook and Twitter - tell them that you support LB 239 and ask that they vote YES on cloture for an up or down vote:
Sen. Greg Adams, York gadams@leg.ne.gov
Sen. Lydia Brasch, West Point lbrasch@leg.ne.gov
Sen. Colby Coash, Lincoln ccoash@leg.ne.gov
Sen. Abbie Cornett, Bellevue acornett@leg.ne.gov
Sen. Galen Hadley, Kearney ghadley@leg.ne.gov
Sen. John Harms, Scottsbluff jharms@leg.ne.gov
Sen. Paul Lambert, Plattsmouth plambert@leg.ne.gov
Sen. LeRoy Louden, Ellsworth llouden@leg.ne.gov
Sen. John Nelson, Omaha jnelson@leg.ne.gov
Sen. Rich Pahls, Omaha rpahls@leg.ne.gov
Sen. Pete Pirsch, Omaha ppirsch@leg.ne.gov
Sen. Les Seiler, Hastings lseiler@leg.ne.gov
Sen.John Wightman, Lexington jwightman@leg.ne.gov
Please contact these senators TODAY and tell them that Nebraskans support LB 239.
It needs to be pointed out that the Nebraska Republican Party is lying to its own voters by claiming that "every organization lined up in opposition to the Voter ID act is led by a liberal Democrat." For proof of that, look no further than Larry Dix, the Executive Director of the Nebraska Association of County Officials, and Nancy Fulton, president of the Nebraska State Education Association. These are two of the stongest voices in a large coalition opposed to this costly, confusing, and perhaps even unconstitutional legislation.
Unconstitutional? Yes, Article I, Sec. 22 of the Nebraska Constitution provides, "All elections shall be free; and there shall be no hindrance or impediment to the right of a qualified voter to exercise the elective franchise." That's pretty strong language prohibiting precisely the sort of barrier to voting that LB239 would entail.
At a time when Nebraska has real issues to face - like the ongoing and growing crisis in child welfare - it's hard to understand why a single minute would be wasted debating this bill to address a problem that doesn't even exist. Consider that it is easily shown to be contrary to the spirit of our state constitution and there is little wonder why the Nebraska Republican Party has to resort to strong-arming tactics and deception in hopes of forcing its way through the Legislature.
The question now is whether these targeted State Senators have the fortitude and independence to stand up to their own political party. Or, will they be cowed once again by the possibility of another partisan threat trying to dictate to a nonpartisan body?
I am hopeful that enough will stand resolute to keep this bill from proceeding. This is such a no-brainer that I'm loathe to even give Senators much credit for just listening to reason and making the right choice. However, better not count those chickens before they hatch as the power of the Republican Party in state politics should not be underestimated - no matter how misplaced. We'll see soon enough what happens on LB239 - legislative debate will begin early next week with that first crucial vote soon to follow. |
