State Sen. John Murante of Gretna is urging "corrective action" to ensure noncitizens don't register to vote using forms Nebraska Democrats included in refugee welcome baskets this month.
His comments came after state Democratic Party Chairwoman Jane Kleeb shared video on social media showing envelopes with voter registration forms tucked into a pile of welcome baskets the party collected during a leadership meeting in Lincoln March 16.Â
"We need to be absolutely certain that these forms are not submitted," Murante said Monday during a news conference at the Capitol.
Murante is chairman of the Legislature's Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee. The Republican is considered a potential candidate for Nebraska secretary of state in 2018.
Kleeb said last week the goal wasn't to encourage voter fraud, but to "make sure that folks are embraced by the Nebraska Democratic Party."
People are also reading…
The baskets were donated to two refugee resettlement agencies, Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska and the Refugee Empowerment Center.
Both organizations have said they removed the registration forms and other political materials before sharing other items from the baskets.
Still, Murante asked Kleeb to quickly compile a list of any noncitizens who might have received registration forms.
A letter he sent to Kleeb asks that the list be delivered to county election officials by Wednesday, given that Omaha and Lincoln have local primary elections scheduled for April 4.Â
Only citizens may vote in most U.S. elections, and refugees generally must wait five years after their arrival to obtain citizenship.
Submitting a fraudulent voter registration form is a felony in Nebraska, but the state has no screening system to ensure those who register are citizens.
A voter-identification law passed in Kansas in 2011 requires people to present proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in that state.
Murante, who has led recent efforts to require voter ID in Nebraska, said he's unaware of any legislation here that would have required proof of citizenship at time of registration.
"It's something I'm looking into," he said.
"Any ballot that is cast illegally cancels out the ballot of a person who is legally entitled to vote," Murante said. "There is no such thing as an insignificant amount of voter fraud."