Lancaster County board changes position to neutral on one election bill, backs another and authorizes testimony on a third

The Lancaster County Board of Commissioners took three legislative steps on Feb. 10 after a briefing from Election Commissioner Todd Wilchin.

Wilchin told the board he and election commissioners from Hall, Douglas and Sarpy counties met with the bill sponsor and resolved concerns in a white-copy amendment to a bill referenced in the briefing (described by staff as the bill previously recommended for opposition). "We're very excited, and very happy that we were able to come to a resolution on those issues," Wilchin said, and asked the board to amend its position to neutral and to authorize the election commissioner to testify in a neutral capacity before the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee the following day. The board voted to amend its position to neutral and authorized Wilchin to testify.

Wilchin also briefed the board on LB 1075, describing it as a "cleanup" bill related to provisional verification for voter ID and precinct-size language. He recommended support, saying the measure would move the deadline for curing a provisional verification (PVIV) earlier in the post-election period and clarify that the 1,750-voter precinct limit applies to election-day turnout rather than total votes across early and election-day voting. The board voted to support LB 1075 and authorized the election commissioner to testify in support.

Finally, the board authorized either Commissioner Yoakam or Sarah Hoyle to provide testimony on LB 1092, a vehicle plate initiative that would create a license plate to fund developmental disability programs; the motion to authorize either party to testify carried.