Omaha World-Herald - February 11, 2010
By Martha Stoddard
Nebraskans can bank online, file tax returns online and buy hunting licenses online.
Why shouldn't they be able to sign initiative petitions online, as well?
That was the question State Sen. Bill Avery of Lincoln posed to his colleagues Wednesday at a public hearing on his Legislative Bill 1059.
“This is a conversation starter,” he said. “I don't expect we're all going to embrace the idea immediately.”
But Avery said he was interested in looking at ways to move government into the 21st century and to make the petition process easy, yet honest.
The measure would make it legal for people to sign initiative and referendum petitions via the Internet. Currently, only signatures on paper petitions carried by circulators are allowed.
Under the bill, leaders of petition drives could decide to use either or both methods to collect signatures.
Most details about how the idea would work would be left to the Secretary of State's Office to figure out.
The bill calls for that office to design a system for accepting digital or electronic signatures, which Avery said would include figuring out how to verify signatures and prevent fraud.
Paul Schumacher of Columbus, a veteran of several petition drives, urged the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee to consider the idea.
He said the technology exists now to create a secure, online petition. He said those who say it can't be done are people who don't like the petition process.
Neal Erickson, deputy secretary of state for elections, predicted online petition signing will come in the future.
But for now, he said, the idea presents several problems.
Assigning a digital signature to everyone eligible to sign petitions would be costly. Verifying petition signatures with business reply mail also could be costly.
Methods now used for banking or paying bills online would not be secure enough, Erickson said. PIN numbers can be used by multiple people. Social Security numbers also can be shared or stolen.
Among others raising concerns was Brian Mikkelsen with the Nebraska State Education Association, who said online petitions would increase the already growing number of problems with the petition process.
Avery said he does not plan to seek a committee vote on the bill.
