LINCOLN – Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen expressed his appreciation for President Trump’s executive order aimed at protecting the integrity of American elections. The order calls for more extensive access to data for state officials and outlines policies and procedures to safeguard elections. Nebraska’s elections are conducted in accord with the general principles that underpin President Trump’s executive order.
Commenting on the order, Evnen said, “I welcome this executive order from President Trump. For a very long time there have been federal roadblocks to the use by state election officials of the federal death master file and of federal databases that could help confirm the citizenship status of those on the voter rolls. With this action, President Trump is moving the rocks out the road so that states can access the data they need and should have.”
Secretary Evnen, along with other secretaries of state, has requested access to federal resources to help confirm the citizenship status of individuals registering to vote, most recently in an appeal to the Department of Homeland Security regarding the potential of the SAVE program.
“We already comply with many of the other points addressed in the President’s executive order,” Evnen continued. “We do not count ballots received after the close of the polls. We count paper ballots. Nebraska laws prohibit foreign money contributions to candidates or ballot measures, and I am working with the legislature this session to beef up those laws. We use equipment certified by the Election Assistance Commission and we take other steps to assure the security of our election systems.”
“The executive order represents the beginning of a new and hopeful chapter in federal/state relations regarding elections,” Evnen concluded.
To learn more about Nebraska elections, visit www.sos.nebraska. gov/elections-division.
