The Sentencing Project Condemns Nebraska Attorney General and Secretary of State for Attempting to Strip Voting Rights from People with Felony Convictions
Research has demonstrated that expanding voting rights is linked to improved public safety outcomes by facilitating successful re-entry and reducing recidivism.
Related to: Voting Rights, State Advocacy
Washington, D.C. – In July 2024, the Nebraska legislature enacted Legislative Bill 20, legislation restoring voting rights to 7,000 people in Nebraska with felony convictions who have already completed their full sentences. However, two days before the law was set to go into effect, Attorney General Mike Hilgers issued a formal opinion claiming that the legislature unconstitutionally infringed on the executive branch’s exclusive authority to restore Nebraskans’ civil rights.
While the Attorney General’s opinions do not carry the force of law, Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen effectively handed Hilgers that power Wednesday by halting any new registrations of persons with felony convictions who would have been eligible to vote under the new law or its predecessor.
Nicole D. Porter, Senior Director of Advocacy with The Sentencing Project, released the following statement:
“For the Attorney General and the Secretary of State to introduce uncertainty, delay, and confusion into Nebraska’s electoral process a mere 48 hours before a voting rights bill was set to take effect is a severe mistake at best and intentionally harmful at worst. This action will only create more confusion about who is eligible to vote, the potential for litigation against individuals, and suppress turnout. The Sentencing Project condemns this decision in the strongest possible terms.”
“The people and the democratically-elected legislature of Nebraska have spoken, and the Attorney General and Nebraska Secretary of State should honor their decision. Since 1997, 26 states and the District of Columbia have expanded voting rights to people living with felony convictions, allowing more than 2 million eligible residents to regain their right to vote. This action reverses the will of the people and takes Nebraska a step backward.”
“We stand with all of the voters in Nebraska who deserve to exercise their right to the ballot in this year’s election, and we look forward to continuing our work with Nebraska’s Voting Rights Restoration Coalition to ensure that justice is not denied to these voters.”
The Sentencing Project recently published a report finding that over 10,000 of Nebraska’s citizens are banned from voting because they are incarcerated for a felony, on felony probation, or released on parole. Nearly half of these Nebraskans who have been stripped of their right to vote live in the community. People of color are more likely to be prohibited from voting because of the stark racial disparities in Nebraska’s criminal legal system.
Research has demonstrated that expanding voting rights is linked to improved public safety outcomes by facilitating successful re-entry and reducing recidivism. The act of voting can have a meaningful and sustaining positive influence on justice-impacted citizens by making them feel they belong and have a voice in their communities.
