Nebraska Supreme Court orders voter registration to resume for those with felony convictions

Nebraska’s Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down an order by the state’s top election official that barred convicted felons from voting, a ruling that could add thousands of eligible voters statewide as both parties vie for its split electoral votes.

The decision came as early voting is already underway in Nebraska, where Democrats are fighting to pick up one electoral vote in an Omaha-based congressional district Joe Biden won in 2020. It adds about 7,000 eligible voters in the state, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

Earlier this year, the state Legislature passed a law that removed a two-year waiting period for voting after people with felony convictions completed their sentences. But two days before the law was to go into effect, Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers said it violated the state constitution — and Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen ordered county election offices to stop registering all people with felony convictions.

The state’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that that order violated the Nebraska Constitution and called on Evnen and election commissioners statewide to implement the law “immediately.”


https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/10/16/2024-elections-live-coverage-updates-analysis/nebraska-supreme-court-felony-conviction-voting-00183923