ACLU-Nebraska: Because Freedom Can't Protect Itself

On November 2, 2004, ACLU Nebraska staffed the phones to respond to emergency requests for help in voting disputes.  The calls ranged from public employees working all day shifts with a boss who wouldn't let them off to vote as required by state law to individuals whose ballot contained errors.  We have very limited resources--all our lawsuits are funded by donations from private individuals here in Nebraska--so we can't sue on every complaint.  Instead, we try hard to use negotiation to reach positive results when we can.  While no lawsuits came out of the 2004 elections for us, we did ensure those public employees got time off to vote, and provided information to the public about their rights to vote.