Voter ID, serving as state's 'ambassador' goals for candidate

Bob Evnen

McCOOK, Neb. — The time to stop voter fraud is before it begins, said Lincoln attorney Bob Evnen, candidate for Nebraska Secretary of State.

“We can have voter ID without disenfranchising groups of voters,” he said Wednesday during a visit to McCook.

Nebraska should join 34 other states which already require identification to vote, and can learn from those states to “get it right,” he said.

“Why worry about voting security?” he asked, “because the time to do it is before corruption sets in, because if it does, you can never get (security) back.”

He was a founder of a group to restore the death penalty in Nebraska, and while he doesn’t want “three hangings every Saturday,” feels capital punishment is an important tool to have on the books. That stance is reflected by endorsements by state sheriff, police and state trooper organizations, he said.

Serving on the state board of pardons, Evnen vowed to stand with victims and be tough on criminals if elected.

The secretary of state acts as the state’s ambassador to the world, a role that’s important for increasing exports and enhancing economic security, he said.

In concert with the governor, the secretary of state can act as a “force multiplier” in support of agriculture, the state’s major industry, Evnen said.

He counts himself as pro-life and pro-family, a supporter of the Second Amendment and a fiscal conservative who believes in limited and responsible government.

Married for 36 years, Evnen has three children and two grandchildren, with another on the way.