Voter rolls questioned

Kimball County’s voter rolls were recently called into question, along with three other Nebraska counties, by a letter to Kimball County Clerk Cathy Sibal from the Public Interest Legal Foundation, a non-partisan, non-profit, public interest law firm.

The letter alleges that Kimball County had more registered voters than it has eligible, living citizen voters.

“I had a meeting and we discussed this matter, which the Secretary of State is researching,” Sibal said.

Secretary of State John Gale, in a recent public announcement, stated, “My office is working with the counties named by the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) to see if there is any basis for the assertions that those counties are in violation of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). About two years ago, in 2015, PILF sent a similar letter to seven counties in Nebraska. At that time, we noted that there were inconsistencies in the voter data obtained by PILF, compared to census data. It is likely that is the case again. However, we will take this opportunity to check with each of those counties as to their voter registration data and current census numbers, to ensure that the voter registration rolls in those counties are current and up to date. We will know more once we complete our review.”

While Sibal appreciates the vital role organizations such as PILF have in maintaining accuracy and transparency, she asserts that she, and her office, have done nothing fraudulent with Kimball County elections.

The office can only remove voters from the rolls in certain circumstances and with validation, such as a signed document from the voter or an obituary.

“We work with the Clerk of the District Court, who gives us notice if a person becomes a felon,” Sibal added. “We remove felons, deceased and voters who move outside of the county.”

This is a year-round process at the local office, according to Sibal, who said that they often change voter information nearly daily.

Kimball County currently has 2,750 registered voters, however, of 270 address confirmations sent out, the clerk’s office has received just 112 back between September 2015 and September 2017.

“Prior to election I remind citizens to maintain their information so there is no hold-up during the process. Notice is always appreciated when a move (outside of the county) occurs and those that move within the county, we need to know their current address,” she said. “So many times people don’t take the time to respond to us. We cannot remove a voter just because. I encourage citizens to come talk with me if they have any questions about how we maintain our voting records. I can assure you that we maintain those records on almost a daily basis.”