Opinion piece in the Omaha World-Herald. This resolution will be debated at noon Central in the Unicameral today.

For over 100 years the League of Women Voters has relentlessly advocated for voting rights and policies that protect democracy. It is from this experience that we are deeply disturbed by the April 23 introduction of Legislative Resolution 107 by State Sen. Mike Groene for both its content and how it was brought to the floor of the Legislature.

LR 107 begins by accusing the federal government of a coordinated plot to usurp all states’ rights. It haphazardly pulls incomplete phrases from the U.S. Constitution to “support” a handful of highly politicized issues including guns, abortion, religion, sexuality, voting access, land use, and vaccinations. We find Section 5 regarding the election process particularly concerning. Leaning into the false narrative that the recent election was fraudulent despite countless fact-based reports otherwise, LR 107’s authors assert the state’s power to suppress voter access through ID requirements, record purging and restrictions in voter supports.

We live in challenging times facing a pandemic, an uneasy transition of power, an individual versus collective rights debate, and a reawaking to systemic racial discrimination and violence. We encounter divisive language everywhere: the media, workplaces, even friends and neighbors. Whether by intention or negligence, it is inappropriate and unacceptable for our state leaders to fan the flames by not speaking against LR 107.

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Midlands Voices: Nebraska lawmakers should reject this radical resolution

Sen. Groene (Wingnut-North Platte) is our legislature’s bomb-thowing back bencher.