The state’s top election official challenged the law, but the court ruled in favor of restoring voting rights. In a landmark decision, the Nebraska Supreme Court has ruled that individuals with felony convictions who have completed their sentences are entitled to vote. This decision comes after Nebraska’s Secretary of State, Robert Evnen, attempted to block …
Nebraska Supreme Court Restores Voting Rights for Convicted Felons Who Completed Sentences
Steven Ray Wilson,
Senior Editor, The Midtown Times News Network
The state’s top election official challenged the law, but the court ruled in favor of restoring voting rights.
In a landmark decision, the Nebraska Supreme Court has ruled that individuals with felony convictions who have completed their sentences are entitled to vote. This decision comes after Nebraska’s Secretary of State, Robert Evnen, attempted to block former felons from casting ballots ahead of the November 5 election, citing constitutional concerns.
Historically, Nebraska has restored voting rights to individuals with felony convictions two years after they completed their sentences. However, earlier this year, state legislators passed L.B. 20, a bipartisan law that eliminated the two-year waiting period, allowing felons to regain their voting rights immediately after serving their time. Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers argued that only the state’s board of pardons should have the authority to restore voting rights, prompting the Secretary of State to direct local registrars to halt voter registrations for individuals with prior felony convictions.
On Wednesday, the state’s highest court rejected these claims, stating that the law was constitutional. “The Secretary is ordered to remove any disqualification on registration he has imposed that is not contained within L.B. 20,” the court ruled, confirming that the law stands and that former felons can vote.
With voter registration deadlines looming, Nebraskans with felony convictions now have a narrow registration window. The deadline for online registration is Friday, October 18, while in-person registration will continue until October 25. This decision could affect the upcoming election, particularly in Nebraska’s competitive Omaha-based 2nd District, which awards an electoral vote based on the congressional district’s outcome.
Advocacy group The Sentencing Project estimates that eliminating the waiting period could restore voting rights for approximately 7,000 individuals in Nebraska, with many more affected by previous restrictions. Nationwide, around 4 million Americans are disenfranchised due to current or past felony convictions.
This ruling represents a significant victory for voting rights advocates and criminal justice reform efforts nationwide.
This story has been adapted from Jane C. Timm, a senior reporter for NBC News.
Photo Credit: AP files / Voters stand in line in Omaha, Neb., on Oct. 28, 2020. Nati Harnik / AP file
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