Vote Nebraska Initiatives all have merit

When it comes to our American system of government, nothing is more basic than one citizen, casting one vote, and having that vote count.

We must be careful, therefore, with any proposal to tamper with any mechanism so important to the function of our democracy -- just as we would be cautious about heart surgery or the overhaul of our car's engine. One wrong move could mean disaster.

But that doesn't mean the voting process can't be improved, and efforts shouldn't be made to get more eligible voters involved. The amount of voter involvement is just as important to our nation's survival as proper counting.

Thus, we should give careful consideration to 16 recommendations offered by the Vote Nebraska Initiative, an 18-member task force formed by the Legislature in 2003 to study the issue of declining voter turnout and ways to improvement.

Some of the recommendations are obvious, a couple are open to debate, but all would serve Nebraska well if carefully implemented.

The points:

* Greater emphasis on civics education in schools.

* A Web site devoted to voter education and civic participation in Nebraska.

* Substitute the term "early voting" for "absentee voting."

* Prepare voter registration materials in other languages to assist people with limited English abilities.

* Allow voting to take place at satellite locations such as shopping centers, government buildings, hospitals and college campuses.

* Allow people who have been convicted of a felony to automatically regain their voting rights upon completion of their sentences.

* Authorize Nebraskans living overseas to return voted ballots electronically to speed up the process.

* Adopt a caucus system early in the political season to increase the state's role in selecting presidential candidates.

State Sen. DiAnna Schimek of Lincoln, who chaired the task force, said she is anxious to introduce legislation to implement many of the recommendations. During that process, questions are sure to be raised about issues such as restoring voting rights to felons, and the safety of increased electronic voting. That is how it should be. In fact, the task force itself was not unanimous on all the ideas.

But sponsors of bills to improve civics education and participation will find little opposition from newspapers and other media. After all, keeping the public informed and involved is our primary duty.