With the primary elections just around the corner, there are a few notable items Washington County Election Commissioner Barb Sullivan wants voters to know.
One of the biggest changes this year comes after the Nebraska Initiative 432, Photo Voter Identification Initiative, which was passed in 2022.
This amended initiative requires Nebraska voters to present a valid photo I.D.
Sullivan said the accepted forms of identification include a driver's license or state I.D., passport, military I.D., tribal I.D., assisted living photo I.D.s, Nebraska college and university I.D.s and political subdivisions.
Some invalid I.D.s include birth certificates, store membership cards and out-of-state identifications such as driver's licenses and college I.D.s.
"I believe it was said that 97% of all registered voters in Nebraska already have a Nebraska driver's license or Nebraska I.D., so that will be majority of the I.D.s used," she said. "If they use their license or I.D., it can be expired and we'll still accept it — we're only looking at the name and the face."
Sullivan said those who have lost their homes or I.D.s due to the April 26 tornado will still be able to vote.
"We have work-arounds," she said. "You can still vote."
Sullivan said as of Wednesday, there have been about 600 early ballots this primary season, which is "low" even for a primary election, she said.
"I haven't seen a lot of heavy campaigning," she said. "In this particular primary, there's not a lot in the way of local races, and they all auto-advance to the general, with the exception being in Blair City where you've got the two initiatives. Not a lot on the ballot."
All of the local school board candidates in Blair, Arlington and Fort Calhoun, as well as the three wards in Blair and the County Board of Supervisors aside from District 5, will auto-advance to the general election.
"You have to have more than double the vacancies of candidates," Sullivan said. "If it's a vote for three, if there were seven or more candidates, it would be on the primary, but if it's under that, it auto-advances."
Polling locations:
ARBOR: First Lutheran Church — 2146 Wright St.
ARLINGTON: Arlington Auditorium — 410 West Elm St.
CENTRAL: Blair North Fire Station — 1873 Nebraska St.
CUMING CITY: Reach Church — 13121 County Road 16
DANA: First Lutheran Church — 2146 Wright St.
DESOTO: Living Hope Assembly of God Church — 10194 S Hwy 75
FONTANELLE: St. Paul's Lutheran Church — 8951 County Road 9
FORT CALHOUN EAST: Catholic Church, Schwertley Hall — 215 N 13th St.
FORT CALHOUN WEST: Catholic Church, Schwertley Hall — 215 N 13th St.
HERMAN: Herman Community Church — 808 Main St.
KENNARD: Grace United Methodist Church — 418 W Second St.
LAKELAND: Lakeland Community Building — 4861 Lakeland Drive
NORTHVIEW: Passageway Church — 715 Grant St.
SKYLINE: American Legion — 103 S 12th St.
WASHINGTON: Washington Fire Station — 15204 Dorchester St.
