Nebraska now has new rules that call for people to present photo ID when they vote, as required by the state constitution under an amendment approved by voters in November 2022. Policymakers have done a good job balancing Nebraskans’ right to vote with the need to protect the integrity of that vote.

A large majority of the voting public spoke clearly last November. The voter ID amendment passed, and it fell to the Legislature to set the specific rules, which happened last week on a 38-1 vote. Gov. Jim Pillen signed the bill into law.

The new law supports the goal of ensuring that only legal voters cast ballots, which is what everyone should want. But it takes reasonable steps to help those legal voters comply with the requirement that they prove their identity. In the real world, some people might find that difficult if the rules are too strict.

After all, consider that some 25,000 of our fellow Nebraskans who are qualified voters might need an alternative photo ID, according to estimates prior to the 2022 vote. And some 200,000 Nebraskans who do have photo ID vote early through mail-in ballots, and they deserve practical rules for doing so.

Despite the voter ID amendment, it’s important to remember that Nebraska’s constitution also says “there shall be no hindrance or impediment to the right of a qualified voter to exercise the elective franchise.”

Under Legislative Bill 514, voters will have to start showing ID after April 1 next year. That means the requirement will be in effect for Nebraskans casting early ballots for the 2024 primary election.

Voters will be able to use IDs issued by the federal government, State of Nebraska, local governments or Nebraska colleges, as long as they have the person’s name and photo. Expired documents would be accepted.

Military and veteran IDs, tribal IDs and patient records with photos kept by nursing homes, assisted living facilities or hospitals also will be accepted.

People casting mail-in ballots will have to include the number from their Nebraska driver’s license or state ID card or a copy of an accepted ID document.

People who go to the polls without an acceptable ID will be able to cast a provisional ballot but will have to show a valid ID to election officials by the Tuesday after the election to have their vote count.

Voters with “a reasonable impediment” to showing voter ID could be exempted, including those with a religious objection to being photographed and those who cannot get an ID because of disability, illness or lack of a birth certificate or other required documents.

The proposal will allow people to get a free state identification card for voting purposes and a free copy of a state birth certificate, if needed to obtain a state ID card.

The law calls on the Secretary of State’s Office to publicize the new requirements. It also will require the office to develop a process for ensuring that only citizens are on the state voter rolls.

State Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon, who heads the Legislature’s Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, said the new law complies with both the state and the federal constitutions.

He said it was reviewed carefully by attorneys with the Legislature, the Secretary of State’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office.

Wisely, lawmakers refused to go along with a less accommodating set of rules pushed by Sen. Julie Slama of Dunbar, who had led efforts to get the voter ID measure on the ballot. Her approach seemed to go beyond the spirit and letter of what voters approved.

— Omaha World-Herald