LINCOLN – The Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office announced Wednesday that they were recognized with a national Clearinghouse Award in the Communications category for the voter ID campaign aimed at informing Nebraska citizens about new voter identification requirements beginning in 2024. The Clearinghouse Awards, also known as “Clearies,” are awarded by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) annually to celebrate the hard work of election offices across the country. This is the third national award received by the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office since 2019.
“I was delighted to hear that our office was selected to receive this award for our hard work on this campaign. Our staff did an excellent job resulting in a smooth and effective implementation of new voter ID procedures across our state,” said Secretary of State Bob Evnen. “Ensuring that Nebraska voters are well-prepared to cast their votes efficiently and securely is one of our top priorities. This award further demonstrates that we have the right staff in place to get the job done well. I would also like to thank all county election officials and poll workers across Nebraska for their assistance in making this campaign such a success.”
Now in its ninth year, this year’s Clearie Awards honored programs that took place during the 2024 presidential election year. The Clearies play an essential role in fulfilling the EAC’s mission to serve as a clearinghouse for election administration information under the Help America Vote Act. The EAC is an independent, bipartisan federal agency solely focused on election administration. Submissions were judged on innovation, sustainability, outreach, cost-effectiveness, replicability and the generation of positive results.
EAC Chairman Donald Palmer, Vice Chair Thomas Hicks, and Commissioners Christy McCormick and Ben Hovland praised the 2024 Clearie winners in a joint statement:
“This year’s Clearinghouse Award-winning programs truly shined amid the high voter turnout in 2024. They are examples of the outstanding work election officials did to support tens of millions of voters during the presidential election. After nearly a decade, the Clearinghouse Awards continue to grow with a record number of entries received this year. These programs show how state and local election offices are the incubators of innovation. We are pleased to lift their ideas up and celebrate them on a national stage.”
In addition to the 2024 Clearie, the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office was awarded the Innovator’s Award by the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED) in 2019, followed by a 2021 Clearie for improving accessibility for voters with disabilities.
To learn more about the Clearies and see the list of awardees, visit https://www.eac.gov/election-officials/eac-clearinghouse-award-winners-2024
