Amid federal election overhaul efforts, Nebraska officials say ‘nothing has changed’ for May primary

Hayden Hrabik keeps going online to check his voter registration access. The 26-year-old Air Force veteran first registered to vote while on active duty. Now back home and enrolled at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, he wants to guarantee his voice is heard in the upcoming elections.

Is he concerned about doing that?

“For my own individual ability, no,” Hrabik said while stopping by a recent on-campus voter registration event. “For others, yes.”

Recent months have brought a flurry of national headlines about efforts to change U.S. elections. Federal legislation requiring voters to show proof of citizenship is stuck in the Senate. An executive order aiming to create a master list of people eligible to vote by mail is being litigated in court. And “election security” remains a talking point for conservative candidates across the country. 

But despite all the talk, Nebraska voters won’t see any significant changes in the May 12 primary, in which early voting already is underway. Local and state election officials noted there have been no changes to the laws since 2024, the first year the state implemented voter ID.

“Some (voters) are hearing about legislation that’s been introduced, and of course the executive orders, and they’re asking what has changed,” said Douglas County Election Commissioner Danielle Jensen. “We just reassure them, nothing has changed since voter ID went into effect in Nebraska.”

The picture, though, is murkier when it comes to the general election in November.

Congress has, thus far, failed to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (or SAVE Act), which President Donald Trump has named his “No. 1” priority. The House of Representatives passed it earlier this year, with Nebraska’s three representatives joining their fellow Republicans and one Democrat to advance the bill. It has failed to overcome a filibuster in the Senate. 

Members of Nebraska’s congressional delegation have described the bill as common sense protections to ensure election integrity. Opponents argue that the bill is unnecessary — it already is illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections. Requiring hopeful voters to have their birth certificate or passport to register will only make it harder for millions of Americans to vote, opponents say.

Trump also recently signed an executive order aimed at restricting voting by mail. It directs the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to create a list of citizens eligible to vote in each state. The order would allow the U.S. Postal Service to transmit only the ballots of people on Homeland Security’s lists of eligible voters. More than 20 states have filed a lawsuit challenging the order as unconstitutional.

Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen has said the executive order on voting by mail would not affect the primary. However, Evnen, whose office declined an interview request, recently told the Nebraska Examiner that his office would continue to monitor how the executive order might impact the Nov. 3 election.

A spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s Office reiterated that nothing has changed for the primary.

“As of today, there have not been any changes to election rules in Nebraska since the 2024 election,” Rani Taborek-Potter wrote in an email.

Voters should be prepared to present an acceptable form of photo ID when voting, she added. A list of acceptable IDs, along with information on how to obtain an ID for free, can be found on the Secretary of State’s website.

For Nebraska’s May 12 primary, the deadline to register online or at any office other than the county election office is April 27. The deadline to register to vote in person at the county election office is May 1.

Gavin Geis, executive director of the nonprofit watchdog group Common Cause Nebraska, recommends that all voters who are already registered should check on their registration.

“It’s always wise at this time of year to go on the voter registration check page on the Secretary of State’s website, take a moment and make sure their information is up to date, that they haven’t moved, that their registration hasn’t changed in some way,” Geis said. “All of that is worth looking at right now, just to make sure that you can vote.”

For those voting early by mail, election officials advise getting the ballot in the mail no later than a week before Election Day. 

While Hrabik, the UNO student and veteran, has been following election-related news, others who stopped by the recent registration drive on campus were less up to speed. 

David Johnson, a 21-year-old UNO student, stopped by for the free doughnut holes — he was already registered to vote. Issues are more important to him than candidates.

“I’ll vote if there’s an important topic that’s worth voting for,” he said. 

He said requiring people to produce documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote, as the SAVE Act would require, makes sense.

“I think it’s a good idea,” he said.

Geis, whose organization unsuccessfully sued the state to prevent it from handing over sensitive voter information to the federal government, said he has fielded questions from concerned Nebraskans wondering if they need to do anything new to vote in the election. He said he understands the concern, but tries to convey his trust in Nebraska’s system.

“I genuinely am a believer that Nebraska’s elections work. I am. I think we’ve done it well,” he said. “For as long as I’ve done this job, we’ve consistently, year over year, delivered elections that work. And I think ultimately our elected officials agree with that point.”