Voter ID

In the 2022 General Election, the majority of Nebraska voters passed a constitutional amendment requiring photo ID in Nebraska elections. In response, the Nebraska Legislature passed legislation that enacted Nebraska’s new voter ID law. 

Nebraska’s new voter ID law (LB514) requires all registered Nebraska voters, with limited exceptions, to present an acceptable form of photo ID when voting in Nebraska elections starting with the May 14, 2024, statewide primary election.

Voter ID begins with the May 2024 statewide primary. Every election in Nebraska after the May 14, 2024, statewide primary will require voter ID.

Yes, voters must present an acceptable form of photo ID before casting a ballot in every primary, general and special election. Active-duty military members, active-duty spouses and overseas voters covered by Uniformed & Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) are not required to present photo ID when voting unless they are a registered Nebraska voter casting a ballot in person at a Nebraska polling site.

ID must have your name and photo. ID can be expired. Acceptable forms of photo ID are:

• Nebraska driver's license (from DMV)
• Nebraska state ID (from DMV)
• Nebraska college ID (public or private)
• Nebraska political subdivision ID (state, county, city, public school, etc.)
• United States (U.S.) Passport
• Military ID
• Tribal ID
• Hospital, assisted-living facility, intermediate care facility, or nursing home record

• Birth certificate
• Medicare or Medicaid card
• Out-of-state driver's license 
• Out-of-state college ID
• Social Security card
• Store membership card
• Utility bill
• Bank statement
• Voter registration acknowledgement card

No. A private high school is not a political subdivision of the State of Nebraska.

There is not a special Secretary of State-issued voter card for the new voter ID law. There are many acceptable forms of photo ID that voters may have and can be used to vote, such as a Nebraska driver’s license or state ID. 

Nebraska voters should double-check that they don’t already have a form of ID that’s acceptable to use for Nebraska’s new voter ID law. Driver’s licenses, state IDs, U.S. passports, military IDs, tribal IDs, Nebraska college IDs and political subdivision IDs are all acceptable forms of ID to use for Nebraska’s new voter ID law.

• Nebraskans who do not have a driver’s license or state ID may obtain a free state ID from the Nebraska DMV.
• Nebraskans who need a copy of their birth certificate to get a free state ID can get a free certified copy of their Nebraska birth certificate from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Vital Records. A birth certificate alone is not an acceptable form of photo ID.

Voters who are unable to obtain an acceptable form of photo ID due to a lack of birth certificate or other required documents and have an inability to obtain a birth certificate or other required documents without significant difficulty or expense can complete a reasonable impediment certification form and vote a provisional ballot. The ballot will be counted if the provisional envelope and reasonable impediment certification form are complete, and the signature matches the voter’s registration record.

Yes, Nebraska DMV driver’s license or state ID receipts that contain a photograph can be used for voting purposes. LB514 (2022) requires the DMV to issue driver’s license or state ID receipts with the applicant’s photo.

No, active-duty military members, active-duty spouses and overseas voters covered by UOCAVA, who are outside of Nebraska, are not required to present photo ID.

• Note: Active-duty military members and spouses who are stationed and registered to vote in Nebraska are not covered by UOCAVA and must present photo ID. 

No, the name on the photo ID does not need to exactly match the voter’s registration.

• Examples include but are not limited to the following situations:
  • Use of a variation or nickname rather than a formal name (e.g., “Joe” instead of “Joseph”)
  • Use of a former name, including maiden names (“Jane Smith” versus “Jane Doe”)
• Voters can still change their name (due to marriage, divorce, legal name change, etc.) at their polling place on election day and vote a regular ballot.
  ​The voter has the following options:
  • If it’s a nickname or incorrect spelling, the voter can fill out an updated voter registration form at the polling place and cast a regular ballot.
  • If the ID is in a new name and the voter registration record is in a former name, the voter can proceed to fill out an updated voter registration form at the polling place and may cast a regular ballot.
  • If the ID is in a former name and the voter registration record is in a new name, the voter may cast a regular ballot if the election official is able to verify the former name or driver's license or state ID number on the voter registration record; if the election official is unable to confirm, the voter will vote provisionally and would need to present an acceptable form of photo ID with their new name on or before the Tuesday after the election.

The voter may cast a provisional ballot, and the vote will be counted when or if they present an acceptable form of photo ID to their county election office on or before the Tuesday following the election. If the same ID is presented during the curing period and both the poll worker and election official are unable to verify it is the person, the ballot would not count.

No, the voter must write the Nebraska driver’s license or state ID number on their early voting application form.

The voter’s facility record, commonly referred to as a “face sheet,” from the eligible facility is an acceptable form of photo ID. Facility listings for Nebraska counties can be found on the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) website.

• State of Nebraska Roster: Assisted Living Facilities
• State of Nebraska Roster: Hospitals
• State of Nebraska Roster: Intermediate Care Facilities
• State of Nebraska Roster: Long Term Care Facilities

Yes, it qualifies as a care facility record. The ID must contain the voter’s name and photo.

You can get a free ID at the Nebraska DMV. You will need to bring documents confirming your identity and your address when applying for a state ID.

• To find more information about getting a state ID, click here.
• To find your local DMV office, click here. 

If you have a reasonable impediment preventing you from obtaining valid photographic identification, you can complete a certification.
Reasonable impediments are:

• Inability to obtain an acceptable form of ID due to:
  • Disability or illness that prevents the voter from obtaining valid photographic identification. 
  • Lack of birth certificate or other required documents and an inability to obtain a birth certificate or other required documents without significant difficulty or expense.
• Religious objection to being photographed.

• If a voter requests an early voting ballot, they will need to write their driver’s license/state ID number on the application or enclose a copy of an acceptable form of photo ID or reasonable impediment certification with their early voting ballot application. The voter will not provide the ID again when returning the ballot.
• If a voter is automatically sent a ballot (in a by-mail precinct or by-mail special election), they will need to write their driver’s license/state ID number in the space provided on the ballot return envelope or enclose a copy of an acceptable form of photo ID or reasonable impediment certification form in the ballot return envelope.

Yes. Early voting applications can be emailed, faxed or mailed as long as they are physically signed; the photo ID must also be included with that transmission. The photocopy or image can be in black and white, but it must be clearly legible.

Poll workers will look for the voter’s photo and the voter’s name. 

An acceptable photo ID for voting:

• Does not need to include an expiration date.
• Does not need to include an address
• Can be expired.
• Can contain an out-of-state address.

Yes, a poll worker can ask a voter to remove their photo ID from their wallet if it obscures the voter’s name or photo.

Yes, voters without a reasonable impediment are required to present an acceptable form of photo ID regardless of the poll worker knowing the voter.

No, the voter must present the original photo ID to vote, whether that’s at the polls, early in person at the election office, or on or before the Tuesday after the election when voting provisionally.

• Registered voters who arrive to vote without an acceptable form of photo ID may go home to retrieve their photo ID, without signing in, and return with their ID prior to the close of polls to cast a regular ballot. 
• Alternatively, the voter will be offered a provisional ballot. The voter will still be able to cast their vote, but their ballot will only count if the voter presents an acceptable form of ID to their county election office, in person, on or before the Tuesday following the election.

A  Reasonable Impediment Certification (RIC) (Certificatión de Impedimento Razonable) is a form that can be completed when a voter has a reasonable impediment preventing the voter from obtaining valid photographic identification.
Reasonable impediments are: 

• Inability to obtain an acceptable form of ID due to:
  • Disability or illness that prevents the voter from obtaining valid photographic identification.
  • Lack of birth certificate or other required documents and an inability to obtain a birth certificate or other required documents without significant difficulty or expense.
• Religious objection to being photographed.

There are several ways a voter could submit a reasonable impediment certification form. 

• The voter can provide it with the early voting ballot application. 
  • If the voter lives in a by-mail precinct, they will include it in their ballot envelope.
• The voter can complete it when voting early in-person.
• The voter can fill out the certification at their polling place on election day.
  • Poll workers will not decide on the validity of the reasonable impediment certifications; these will be sent with the provisional envelope to the local election office for verification. The county election office will verify the signature on the certification to the voter’s voter registration record to determine whether or not the ballot is counted.

Yes, the form must be completed each time a voter will cast a ballot.

 No, the provisional voter must go to the office in person and present an acceptable form of photo ID.

No, the new law does not require Nebraska voters to re-register to vote if their information is up to date.