A Lancaster County judge has dismissed a Republican National Committee-led lawsuit challenging a Nebraska law that allows a limited group of U.S. citizens living overseas to vote in the state.
The Nebraska Examiner reports District Judge Ryan Post ruled that the RNC and two Lancaster County voters, Jack Riggins and Pamela Dingman, lacked legal standing to bring the case.
The lawsuit targeted a provision allowing a U.S. citizen who lives outside the country and has never lived in the United States to register and vote in one Nebraska county where either parent is registered. The person cannot be registered in another state.
The RNC and the two voters argued that the statute conflicts with the Nebraska Constitution’s residency requirements and dilutes the votes of lawful Republican voters. They asked the court to declare the provision unconstitutional and prevent Secretary of State Bob Evnen from issuing ballots under it.
Evnen and Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers defended the statute and sought dismissal on standing grounds. Evnen had previously described the lawsuit as “a little baffling.”
The Examiner previously reported that 116 voters were registered under the challenged provision as of July.
The ruling leaves the Nebraska law in effect. It does not affect military personnel or other overseas voters who previously lived in Nebraska.