Kicking off Nebraska’s eventful 2024 election year, county election offices are now officially accepting early voter applications for the May 14, 2024, statewide primary.
In order submit your application, voters need to either download an early voting application or request an application from their county election office. Voters can find their county election office’s contact information here.
Secretary of State Bob Evnen is reminding voters of Nebraska’s new voter ID requirements that take effect for the statewide primary.
“There are important changes to how Nebraskans will vote in the statewide primary,” Evnen said. “Every Nebraska voter should be thinking about how voter ID will impact their voting plan, whether that will be presenting an ID in the early voting process or showing up to the polls with an acceptable form of ID.”
County election offices will start mailing out early voting ballots on April 8th. Early voting in-person at county election offices, which requires an ID but no application, begins April 15th.
The 2024 Official Election Calendar for Nebraska is available here.
How does voter ID affect voting early by mail?
When filing out their early voting application, voters will need to do one of the following:
- The voter can write their driver’s license or state ID number on the application.
- The voter can attach a photocopy of their acceptable form of ID to the application. (The photocopy must be returned with the application, whether the voter returns the documents in person, by mail, by email or by fax.)
- If the voter does not have an ID and cannot get an ID because of a disability, illness or religious objection to being photographed, the voter can attach their completed reasonable impediment certification to the application.
Once the early voter returns their application with their ID information, the voter ID requirement is fulfilled. The voter will not need to present their ID again for this primary election. The voter should make sure to sign and return the early voting application to their county election office.
Counties that only vote by mail
Voters in by-mail precincts and by-mail counties automatically receive their ballots; No request is required. Voters in the following counties will present their photo ID information in their ballot return envelope:
- Boone, Cedar, Cherry, Clay, Dawes, Dixon, Garden, Knox, Merrick, Morrill, Stanton.
Those voters will either write their driver’s license or state ID number under the flap of their return envelope, enclose a copy of their photo ID in the return envelope or insert their reasonable impediment certification in the return envelope. They will not need to present their photo ID again for this primary election.
Acceptable forms of Photo ID
The photo ID must have the voter’s name and photo.
- Nebraska driver’s license
- Nebraska state ID (from the DMV)
- United States Passport
- Military ID
- Tribal ID
- Hospital, assisted-living facility or nursing home record
- Nebraska political subdivision ID (state, county, city, school, etc.)
- Nebraska college or university ID (public or private)
Free state ID for voting purposes
Nebraskans can get a free state ID for voting purposes from the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). If the person was born in Nebraska and needs a free certified copy of their Nebraska birth certificate to get a free state ID, they can contact the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). A birth certificate is not a valid form of voter ID.