Running Out of Time:  Will Nebraska Ban ES&S Voting Machines and Return to Hand-Counted Paper Ballots?

Six Other States Considering Similar Actions

By Jerry Ficke

Republican lawmakers in at least six states – New Hampshire, Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Washington, and West Virginia – have introduced legislation that would require all election ballots to be counted by hand instead of machine, according to the Associated Press.

The present session of the Nebraska Unicameral provides only 60 legislative days and will end on April 20th.  Time is therefore running very short for the session’s three election integrity related bills to be amended to require hand counting of all election ballots. 

These bills, LB1121, LB 1123, and LB1181, in their present form, are only intended to strengthen election security through:

  1. Inspections of vote counting machines;
  2. Detailed procedures to ensure that ballots are eligible to be counted, and
  3. The use of required identification documents when registering to vote, voting in person, or voting by mail, respectively.

Seth Keshel, MBA, the recognized statistical expert and former Military Intelligence Army Captain and Afghanistan veteran, stated on his Telegram channel on March 15, 2022 that Nye County, Nevada was the “first in America to vote (unanimously, today, 5-0) to ban use of electronic voting machines, beginning in primaries. Secure paper ballots with anti-counterfeit measures to be used henceforth. It only takes a spark to start a whole blaze.”   

“With the paper ballots, hand-counted at the precinct level, decentralized — we’re going against what the forces want,” Jim Marchant, a Republican candidate for Secretary of State [for Nevada], told the board. “They want centralized [systems] so they can manipulate it. So, if we go against that and get back to decentralized … that’s how we’re going to guarantee that we have a fair and transparent election,” the far-left Nevada Independent reported. 

Lyon County [Nevada] commissioners could also soon be considering similar election changes to those proposed in Nye County. Though no similar items appear on the agenda for the county commission’s Thursday meeting, Republican Commissioner Debra Strickland said she believed Lyon County would be doing the “same thing” on March 17.

The Saline County [Nebraska] GOP held its annual convention on March 16th.  Vice Chair Jill Gnade stated on March 17th that the group unanimously passed an election integrity resolution, calling for:

  • The exclusive use of paper ballots
  • The hand counting of all eligible ballots cast
  • The use of universal voter ID when registering to vote and when voting

“We must restore integrity and accountability to our election process or the country is lost”, said Ms. Gnade. 

Saline County reported a population of 14,200 as of the 2010 United States Census.  The county seat is Wilber, Nebraska.  Crete and Friend are also located in Saline County.

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References

1. AP News - March 12, 2022 - Some in GOP want ballots to be counted by hand, not machines
2. Cornhusker Guardian, A Unicameral by Any other name would smell as Sweet
3. Cornhusker Guardian, Election Integrity Takes Center Stage in the Nebraska Unicameral
4. The Nevada Independent, March 15, 2022 Nye commissioners ask top county election official for all paper ballots, hand-counting

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