William & Mary Law School | Election Law Society
By: George Townsend
When the Nebraska legislature meets in January 2020 one of the bills up for consideration will be LB 83, which would restore the right to vote to citizens convicted of felonies once they have completed their sentence and parole.
[Read more…] about Nebraska Makes a Second Try at Post-Sentence Felony Re-enfranchisement
By: Eric Sutton
Background and the Referendum Process
On Wednesday, May 27th, 2015, the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature eliminated capital punishment through LB 268. The bill was approved over a veto by Governor Pete Ricketts, by a no-votes-to-spare 30-19 margin, and marked the end of State Senator Ernie Chambers’ 39-year effort to end the death penalty in Nebraska. The repeal made Nebraska the first conservative state to eliminate capital punishment in more than 40 years. However, immediately after the repeal, State Senator Beau McCoy, a conservative, expressed his frustration over the vote and announced his intent to pursue a ballot initiative to reinstate the death penalty. Less than one week after the repeal and Sen. McCoy’s statements, a group named Nebraskan’s for the Death Penalty (“NFDP”) filed the appropriate paperwork with the Secretary of State to reinstate the death penalty by referendum.
[Read more…] about Nebraska’s Death Penalty Saga: Referendum on the Plains