Election commissioner appointments could require legislative, county board approval

The Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee heard testimony Jan. 31 on two bills that would change requirements for election commissioner appointments.

LB183, introduced by Wilber Sen. Russ Karpisek, would require that election commissioners be appointed by the county board in counties with populations of more than 100,000.

Forty-five percent of state voters reside in three counties, Karpsiek said, so those counties should have more control over their election commissioners to reduce political influence from the governor.

Abbie Kretz, member of the Heartland Workers Center, testified in support of the bill, saying it would give counties more oversight and provide more transparency.

“We feel that we need an election commissioner in larger counties that will show openness with the community they are representing,” Kretz said.

Deputy Secretary of State Neal Erickson testified in opposition to the bill. If the goal of the bill is to make local election officials less subject to political influence, he said, the opposite probably would happen if such positions were appointed by local entities.

Karpisek also introduced LB188, which would require legislative approval of election commissioner appointments made by the governor.

Jack Gould of Common Cause Nebraska testified in support of the bill, saying it would make the election process more fair.

“It seems that because we elect governors on the basis of political parties and because electing commissioners is a grassroots element of democracy, that it is important that a nonpartisan body support an appointment [of an election commissioner],” he said.

Adam Morfeld, executive director of Nebraskans for Civic Reform, also testified in support of the bill, saying it would provide checks and balances to the election process. Giving the Legislature final authority over such appointments would allow citizens to either support the appointments or address their concerns in a public hearing, he said.

The committee took no immediate action on either LB183 or LB188.