LINCOLN- A coalition of voting rights groups says it’ll work to oppose a ballot initiative seeking to ask Nebraskans to approve voter ID next year.

Decline to Sign Nebraska, which announced its campaign opposing the petition drive at a rally at the Capitol on Tuesday, said the proposal would be costly to the state and further complicate the voting process.

The coalition includes Civic Nebraska, Black Votes Matter, the League of Women Voters of Nebraska, the ACLU of Nebraska and the Nebraska Poor People’s Campaign.

Brad Christian-Sallis, the statewide voting rights field director for Civic Nebraska, called the voter ID petition “dangerous and hurtful” and said Decline to Sign will “fight it with all our power.”

The voter ID petition was filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office in August. It is sponsored by Sen. Julie Slama of Sterling, Nebraska Republican Party National Committeewoman Lydia Brasch and former Douglas County GOP Chairwoman Nancy McCabe under the name Citizens for Voter ID.

The proposed constitutional amendment would need to net an estimated 124,000 signatures, including 5% of registered voters in 38 of Nebraska’s 93 counties, to appear on the 2022 general election ballot.

Slama said she launched the petition drive in order to have Nebraskans’ voices heard on the matter, after voter ID proposals have been introduced in nine of the past 10 legislative sessions but failed to advance to a vote of the Legislature.

Opponents of the petition on Tuesday said it would enact “voter restrictions.”

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